Professor Mervyn Roy

I am currently the Dean of Education for the College of Science and Engineering (CSE). I provide strategic academic leadership for learning, teaching, employability, student recruitment and the student experience in the College, covering over 50 programmes and more than 4000 students split across Schools of: Engineering; Computing and Mathematical Sciences; Geology, Geography and the Environment; Chemistry; and Physics and Astronomy. I chair the University of Leicester Apprenticeships Management Board, the CSE Education Committee, and the College Programme Portfolio and Development Group. As part of my role I have led, or currently lead, strategically important projects for UoL, driving positive change across the institution. For example, I led the 2022 review of our mitigating circumstances policy and the implementation of new processes following the review. In 2023 I led the redesign of the University of Leicester Senate Regulation for degree awards and progression which will roll through with students from 25/26 entry. A key part of my role is concerned with equality and inclusivity and, in particular, eliminating awarding and satisfaction gaps. I have oversight over the Inclusion Action Plans and associated curriculum developments across CSE Schools.

In 2024-25 I supported the drafting of the QAA Subject Benchmark Statement for Physics, Astronomy and Astrophysics as Deputy Chair of the Advisory Group. I led the drafting teams for the new Accessibility, and the Employability, enterprise and entrepreneurship sections of the statement.

I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a University of Leicester Distinguished Teaching Fellow with over 20 years of experience in innovative course development, student support, and teaching in Higher Education.

I graduated from the University of Leicester in 1995 with a first class BSc degree in Physics, winning the departmental prize for best student in both my second and third years. I then stayed on at Leicester to study for a PhD in Many-electron effects in the X-ray absorption fine structure under the supervision of Dr S. J. Gurman. From 1999 to 2006 I was employed as a post-doctoral research associate and temporary lecturer in the department, first working on self-assembled semiconductor quantum dots then on carbon nanotube quantum dots. I was awarded a lectureship in 2006, working on graphene and on abinitio electronic structure calculations focussed on compound semiconductors.

Over time, my career progressed into teaching leadership within both the School and the wider University. I was the Director of Education (DoE) in the School of Physics and Astronomy from 2016 to 2022 (joint with Simon Vaughan from 2016-2021). During my tenure as Director of Education at UoL I co-led the School through the transformation of our curriculum and through IoP re-accreditation. The School teaching metrics during my tenure were exemplary, including a median NSS satisfaction score over 95% and top-5 UK rankings in 2020, 21 and 22. Prior to my role as DoE I was heavily involved in student support and education leadership in Physics, primarily as Senior Tutor and Accessibility Tutor from 2015 to 2022, and as Head of Admissions from 2009 to 2014. 

I was appointed as Deputy Dean of Education for the College of Science and Engineering in 2021 and as Dean of Education in 2022.

I am currently employed on a teaching focussed contract. The focus of my scholarship time is on education leadership and pedagogical development (see "Profile" and "Teaching" tabs) where I have a strong interest in authentic assessment. For example, in 2022 I was the University of Leicester co-lead for a national Advance HE project to embed entrepreneurship and enterprise within the curriculum: we developed a week-long ‘Sustainable Innovators Lab’ for interdisciplinary groups of students from Physics, Business and Computing. My work with the innovative undergraduate student research journal in Physics has been presented at national meetings and generated a great deal of media interest, including articles in National Geographic magazine and Physics World. From 2016-2019 I was involved in the IoP ECUIP project on conceptual understanding, leading the ethical approval for UoL. 

From 2006-2020 I was employed on a teaching and research contract. My research background is in the quantum theory of semiconductor nanostructures. I have long standing interests in quantum dots, carbon nanotubes, graphene, scanning tunnelling microscopy of single dopants, and x-ray absorption spectroscopy. I am also interested in compound semiconductor detectors. I am experienced with effective mass, tight-binding, and ab-initio DFT electronic structure calculations for a variety of different systems. I have over 25 years experience of code development and in X-ray absorption spectroscopy.

Scopus publication list.

Selected publications

Probing the local electronic structure of isovalent Bi atoms in InP. C. M. Krmalle, A. R. Da Cruz, M. E. Flatte, M. Roy, P. A. Maksym, L. Y. Zhang, K. Wang, Y.Y. Li, S. M. Wang, and P. M. Koenraad, Phys. Rev. B 101, 024113 (2020).

Incorporation of Bi atoms in InP studied at the atomic scale by cross-sectional scanning tunneling microscopy. C. M. Krammel, Mervyn Roy, F. J. Tilley, P. A. Maksym, L. Y. Zhang, P. Wang, K. Wang, Y. Y. Li, S. M. Wang, and P. M. Koenraad, Phys. Rev. Materials 1, 034606 (2017)

Scanning tunnelling microscopy contrast of isovalent impurities on the GaAs (110) surface explained with a geometrical model. F. J. Tilley, Mervyn Roy, P. A. Maksym, P. M. Koenraad, C. M. Krammel, and J. M. Ulloa, Phys. Rev. B 93, 035313 (2016).

Reading and writing charge on graphene devices. M. R. Connolly, E. D. Herbschleb, R. K. Puddy, M. Roy, D. Anderson, G. A. C. Jones, P. Maksym and C. G. Smith, Appl. Phys. Letts 101, 023505 (2012).

Effective mass theory of interacting electron states in semiconducting carbon nanotube quantum dots. M. Roy and P. A. Maksym, Phys. Rev. B 85, 205432 (2012).

Generalized effective-mass theory of subsurface scanning tunneling. M. Roy, P. A. Maksym, D. Bruls, P. Offermans and P. M. Koenraad, Phys. Rev. B 82, 195304 (2010).

Magnetic field induced confinement-deconfinement transition in graphene quantum dots. G. Giavaras, P. A. Maksym, M. Roy, J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 21, 102201 (2009).

Enhanced donor binding energy close to a semiconductor surface. A. P. Wijnheijmer, J.K. Garleff, K. Teichmann, M. Wenderoth, S. Loth, R. G. Ulbrich, P. A. Maksym, M. Roy and P. M. Koenraad, Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 166101 (2009).

Semiconducting carbon nanotube quantum dots: Calculation of the interacting electron states by exact diagonalisation. M. Roy and P. A. Maksym, EPL, 86(3), 37001 (2009).

Atomic-scale structure and photoluminescence of InAs quantum dots in GaAs and AlAs. P. Offermans, P. M. Koenraad, J. H. Wolter, K. Pierz, M. Roy, and P. A. Maksym, Phys. Rev. B 72 (16), 165332 (2005).

Efficient Method for Calculating Electronic states in self-assembled quantum dots. M. Roy and P. A. Maksym, Phys. Rev. B 68 (23), 5308 (2003). Multiple-electron excitation in X-ray absorption: A simple generic model. M. Roy, J. D. Lindsay, S. Louch and S. J. Gurman, J. Sync. Rad. 8(4), 1103 (2001).

An investigation of the use of the Hedin-Lundqvist exchange and correlation potential in EXAFS data analysis. M. Roy and S. J. Gurman, J. Sync. Rad. 8(4), 1095 (2001).

Amplitude reduction in EXAFS. M. Roy and S. J. Gurman, J. Synch. Rad. 6(3), 228 (1999).

I am passionate about supporting our students and making sure their education is as good as it can be. I have a strong interests in pedagogical development, in programme design, and in developing student skills through authentic assessment.

I am particularly proud of the developments I have made to the innovative 'Physics Special Topics' module. This is a year 4 module where students act as authors, referees, and editors for their own student-led research journal. I took over the leadership of this module in 2010, moving the journal online, and making the students' experience on the module an authentic reflection of the scientific publishing process. 

As part of an Advance HE project to embed enterprise in the curriculum, I developed our annual ‘Space Park Leicester Student Enterprise Challenge’ which brings students together with representatives from space-enabled industry. The enterprise challenge built on my work with industry partners through supervising projects co-led by industry and through our suite of year-3 'skills electives'. I developed the suite of 7 physics 'skills elective' modules in 2015 as part of the transformation of our curriculum. These modules are designed to embed employability at the heart of our curriculum, and to help students achieve their individual career goals and aspirations.

I currently teach quantum mechanics to physics students in years 2, 3 and 4, supervise undergraduate research projects, and lead tutorial classes. Over 20 years of HE teaching, I have taught most most core physics subjects at undergraduate level, focussing on mathematical physics, quantum physics and computer programming. 

In July 2013 I was awarded a University of Leicester Teaching Fellowship for my 'proactive empathetic and innovative contributions to the teaching and student support activities of the Department of Physics and Astronomy.' In October 2017 I was made a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UKPSF 3). In 2018 I was formally commended by the Leicester Learning Institute in recognition of 'the quality of my application for HEA fellowship'. Joint with Simon Vaughan I was awarded the University Ignite Innovators Award (2021) for our efforts to support students and develop University teaching practices during the pandemic.