Jonathan Coleman is Professor of Chemical Physics at Trinity and he's made some pretty impressive discoveries by applying his research to things we use everyday, from phones to computers to milk cartons. Nanomaterials are basically the ultimate upgrade.
He makes a strong case for why Ireland needs to take a page out of China's book and get the balance right between funding basic and applied research in order for technology and industry to thrive.
We touch on how he got into the field, what he thinks about at 3am and why physics is basically about understanding things.