Pete’s research interests focus on the development of novel, ultra-sensitive detector technology for applications in cosmology and astrophysics. Largely based on the use of superconducting thin-films, such technology has the ability to open up new and unique windows into how the Universe has evolved since the big bang.

Currently, Pete is involved in a number of projects that span a wide-range of applications. Examples include construction of large format superconducting detector arrays for future cosmic microwave background experiments, to the demonstration of novel on-chip mm-wave spectrographs capable of performing three-dimensional tomographic-mapping of the Universe out to the epoch-of-reionization, and recently, Pete has started work on the design and development of quantum-limited single-photon detectors for novel axion dark-matter searches.

Pete received both his undergraduate degree and Ph.D from Cardiff University, Wales, UK. Following a postdoctoral  at the University of Chicago he moved to Argonne as an assistant physicist in 2018. Pete continues to work closely with the University of Chicago and holds a joint position through the University of Chicago Consortium for Advanced Science and Engineering programme. 

Research interests

• Cosmology
• High-redshift astrophysics
• Detector physics and simulation
• Instrumentation
• RF/microwave electronics
• Solid-state physics
• Nano fabrication methods and processes