Customer Liaison Group For all enquiries Tel: +44 (0)1782 764428 Email: enquiries@ceram.com CERAM Surface and Materials Analysis is a division of CERAM, therefore all new customer enquiries come through the CERAM Customer Liaison Group (CLG). The CLG is tasked with ensuring that enquiries are recorded, including technical details as well as contact details, and progressed through the system to ensure a fast and accurate response.

Staff Profiles

Chris Pickles General Manager Chris joined CERAM Surface and Materials Analysis in September 2006. He is a PhD chemist with over 30 years experience in commercial science management. After 10 years with Unilever he joined Laporte/Solvay where he moved from business development via head of research to managing director of an automotive component plastic moulder. In 1998 Chris moved to Daresbury laboratory to spearhead commercial development, spinning out new business start-ups and establishing technical service operations for industry.

Rob Mitchell Principal Technical Sales Consultant Rob Mitchell graduated in 1991 with a BSc (Hons) in Applied Chemistry from Sheffield City Polytechnic. Rob is a chemist with over 15 years expertise in surface analytical science and is available for on-site technical discussions and presentations. He has operated in a consultancy capacity in numerous projects for CERAM Surface and Materials Analysis and has developed a reputation for thoroughness and innovative approaches to troubleshooting problems.

Ursula Thompson Technical Sales Representative Ursula is an honours Chemistry graduate from University College Dublin and is the first point of contact for clients in Ireland. She has 15 years experience in analytical instrumentation with a background in applications development, troubleshooting and sales. She has a proven ability to assess needs, develop and present effective solutions. Ursula is available for on-site technical discussions, presentations and to assist with your analysis requirements.

Alan Brown Alan has over twenty-five years of experience in the application of surface analysis techniques to materials characterisation and problem solving. Graduating from the University of Manchester (UMIST) in 1982 with a Ph.D. in surface chemistry, he was involved in the early pioneering development of Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) techniques and their application to a broad range of technological areas including semiconductor devices, polymers, pharmaceuticals, fibres and composites. Alan is a senior scientist and Laboratory Manager at CERAM Surface and Materials Analysis and is responsible for the development and expansion of the company’s analytical capabilities in SIMS.

Jean-Claude Canry Jean-Claude is a chemist specialised in time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and dynamic secondary ion mass spectrometry (DSIMS) with over 10 years experience in the use of these techniques for characterising the surface of materials and solving industrial problems. His expertise covers a wide range of industrial areas such as medical devices, packaging, polymers, electronic/semi-conductor devices.

Len Hazell Len has a Bachelors degree in Physics and a Doctorate in Electron Interactions on Surfaces. He is a Chartered Physicist & Member of the Institute of Physics. Len is a physicist with expertise in surface science. Len carries out most of the on-site technical process audits for clients of CERAM Surface and Materials Analysis where his problem solving skills and extensive experience are beneficial. He has operated in a consultancy capacity in several projects for CERAM Surface and Materials Analysis and has developed a reputation for thoroughness and innovative approaches to troubleshooting engineering problems. Len also has Expert Witness experience. Areas of expertise include X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, Imaging, Auger Electron Spectroscopy, Depth Profiling, Laser Ionisation Mass Analysis, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Laser Scanning Optical Microscopy.

Alan Paul Alan J. Paul is a graduate of Strathclyde (B.Sc) and Newcastle (Ph.D) universities. He is a specialist in Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToFSIMS), with over 15 years dedicated experience. He has particular expertise in organic materials, including polymers, in a wide range of industries. He is a Co-Founder of CERAM Surface and Materials Analysis.

Dave Shingler Dave has over 20 years experience in material science research and analysis.  He joined CERAM in 1984 in the physical testing section where he was involved in the thermal analysis of ceramic materials and particle size analysis before transferring to whitewares research where he was involved in the development of novel dry glazing techniques and in expert systems for automated kilns.  Dave returned to testing to develop new tests and techniques including microwave digestion and laser ablation for ICP-OES, FIA Colorimetry and AFS spectrometry in addition to devising improved methods for determining Chrome VI in soils, refractories and cements.