For example, they underpin the National Grid’s transformers, generators in wind turbines, magnetic hard drives, and the microphones and speakers embedded in our smart devices.

As children – and for some of us still as adults – the invisible force that magnets exert on some objects is akin to a magical force we can exert on the world. But how can we use this magic to work towards Net Zero?

In her Inaugural Lecture, Professor Morrison will discuss the unique properties of different classes of magnetic materials and how they could be used to reduce energy consumption. She will explore whether – by designing more efficient refrigeration technologies or alternative approaches to harvesting waste energy – these unique properties offer opportunities we can exploit.

She will talk about the techniques that she and other physicists use to probe these materials to understand what makes them work and how we can better engineer them for energy-related applications.