DrThomas McCormack

I am an assistant professor in the School of Physics UCD with research interests ranging from laser produced plasmas to physics education research (PER) and novel LED modelling. I gained my BSc in Experimental Physics from UCD , followed by an MSc and then a PhD in the area of time and space resolved laser produced plasmas with the Atomic, Molecular and Plasma Research Group in UCD. Subsequently I joined the physics department in Trinity College Dublin as a research fellow in the area of developing novel LEDs. This led directly to a Cork-based startup called Firecomms which I then joined as their Development Scientist. After 3 years in Cork I returned to Dublin to work at Intel before joining UCD in 2008 as an assistant lecturer.

My main research interests are in laser produced plasmas and especially colliding plasmas and plasmas as sources for x-ray microscopy. I am currently supervising an IRC-funded PhD student on modelling an x-ray microscope in collaboration with our industry partner SiriusXT.
In September 2023, I started as a named investigator on the UCD component of the ERC Synergy project 101071865-HEAVYMETAL, which runs to August 2029. This project investigates the origin of the heavy elements in the Universe when binary neutron stars merge, an event known as a kilonova. The UCD component is tasked with generating new fundamental atomic data for lowly-charged ions across much of the periodic table.

I have also been actively involved in physics education research (PER). I have initiated research into two projects: one investigating gender issues in STEM and the other on problem-based learning in the stage one teaching laboratory. Both have been submitted to teaching journals and are currently under review.


I have and continue to enjoy teaching a range of modules in UCD. I am constantly striving to enthuse future and existing undergraduates about physics by developing demonstrations and experiments and leveraging the latest pedagogic research in my teaching practice.