Dr Verena Gortz

Senior Lecturer

Profile

Verena is a senior lecturer in Materials Chemistry at the Department of Chemistry. She came to Lancaster University from the University of York, where she was a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellow in the Advanced Functional Materials Group of the Department of Chemistry.

Verena studied for her PhD in the field of polymer chemistry at the Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz, Germany. Her research explores the fascinating area of self-organised soft matter, and centres on exploring and exploiting aspects of polymer, colloid, and liquid crystal materials. The aim is to develop micron to nano-structured smart materials with applications in areas such as optical sensing, actuation (artificial muscles), photonics, and stimuli-responsive devices.

Selected Publications

Modulated and confined nematic liquid crystals
Gortz, V. 18/03/2021
Abstract

Stimuli-responsive liquid crystal elastomer microparticles
Taylor, J. 2019 Lancaster University. 273 p.
Doctoral Thesis

Self-assembling, macroscopically oriented, polymer filaments: a doubly nematic organogel
Gleeson, H., Liu, H., Kaur, S., Srigengan, S., Görtz, V., Mandle, R., Lydon, J. 7/12/2018 In: Soft Matter. 14, 45, p. 9159-9167. 9 p.
Journal article

Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship
01/11/2009 → 31/10/2013
Other

Lancaster Chemistry Academia-Industry Symposium
Symposium

Chemistry (Organisational unit)
Member of Advisory Panel

Launch event for the MChem (with Industrial Placement) degree at Lancaster University
Other

Oil & Colour Chemists’ Association
Types of Business and Community - Hosting of external, non-academic visitor

Chemistry (Organisational unit)
Member of Advisory Panel

David K. Smith
Hosting an academic visitor

Sabine Laschat
Hosting an academic visitor

British Liquid Crystal Society (External organisation)
Membership of committee

SPIE Photonics West OPTO Conference 2014, Programme Track: Emerging Liquid Crystal Technologies IX
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience

Young Scientist Award
Prize (including medals and awards)

Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship
Fellowship awarded competitively

Daniel Vorlaender Vorlesung
Prize (including medals and awards)

Chemical Synthesis
Organic Research Group