CONEXS: COllaborative NEtwork for X-ray Spectroscopy
Lead Research Organisation:
Diamond Light Source
Department Name: Science Division
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Sofia Diaz-Moreno (Principal Investigator) |
| Description | The aim of the COllaborative NEtwork for X-ray Spectroscopy (CONEXS) is to establish a strong UK community for X-ray spectroscopy by nurturing the synergy between experiment and theory to maximise the impact from the UK's research and investment in this area. To date we have organised a kick-off meeting, two Summer Schools and two International Conferences, aligned with the objectives outlined in the proposal. To support the dissemination of information, the talks and practical exercises associated with each event have been uploaded on the CONEXS website (http://research.ncl.ac.uk/conexs). The first Summer School and the Fist International Conference were held in Newcastle University, were in-person events attended by over 50 people. Due to the restrictions imposed by the COVID pandemic, the second Summer School and the second International Conference of the network were held as virtual events in March 2021. We managed to put together a very good programme, with international speakers recognized for their work in X-ray Spectroscopy. Despite this, we believe that having to organize the events in a virtual manner had a negative impact on the aims of the network, as it was very difficult for participants to establish collaborations without the face to face meetings and spontaneous interactions that would otherwise take place. However, on the positive side, the virtual format allowed the number of attendees registered for the conference to be considerably higher, at more than 180. The third Summer School for the network was planned for September 2021, but as the restrictions imposed by the pandemic were still on place, we decided to postpone it and reschedule for immediately before the third International Conference in March 2022. Both events were held at Newcastle University, and were extremely successful, with over 30 students participating in the Summer School (we had to limit numbers due to space availability) and over 50 participants in the International Conference. To support the dissemination of information all information, the talks and practical exercises associated with each event have been uploaded on the CONEXS website (http://research.ncl.ac.uk/conexs). In addition to the conferences and workshops we have also initiated a bimonthly newsletter (over 600 subscribers) which contains all the information about the network and recent progress and opportunities. A key aspect of the network is its ability to provide opportunities for travel support for researchers to undergo research exchanges and to attend conferences. This community has also formed the basis for the formation of the UK High-End Computing Consortium for X-ray Spectroscopy (HPC-CONEXS) which will develop computational tools to advance the detailed analysis of experimental data. We have also delivered the web-CONEXS tool. This web portal provide researchers that are not experts in simulations can perform some very simple XANES simulations. Through the web portal, three codes can be run: FDMNES, ORCA and Quantum Espresso. It will provide the framework to achieve accessible simulations, while also ease of access for computational researchers. To run web-CONEXS, you need to have a federal ID and password, and also have had a proposal accepted in one of the spectroscopy beamlines at some point in the past. Its focus at present is to support the analysis of experiments that have been performed at Diamond Light Source. Last year saw us initiate a series of monthly webinars where internationally recognized researchers in the field of X-ray Spectroscopy are invited to talk about the fundamentals of the different techniques and the theory that is available to support the experiments. To date we have organized 10 webinars that on average are followed by more than 50 attendees. The webinars are hosted on our Youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKeI8-AQyHEMk_sLref0QtQ), and are extremely popular (over 1700 views). A no-cost extension for the network of 8 months was awarded. We are now planning a final in-person event to be taken place on the 26th and the 27th of April 2023. The event will count with the participation of national and international speakers, covering theoretical and experimental aspects of X-ray Spectroscopy. |
| Exploitation Route | The focus of this network is knowledge generation and dissemination. Its objective is to support the funding already made in the UK in this area and ensure it can be used most effectively. The training provided by the network will advance this knowledge that will support new scientific opportunities. |
| Sectors | Chemicals,Education,Energy |
| URL | http://research.ncl.ac.uk/conexs |
| Description | UK High-End Computing Consortium for X-ray Spectroscopy (HPC-CONEXS) |
| Amount | £371,871 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | EP/X035514/1 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2023 |
| End | 12/2026 |
| Title | web-CONEXS |
| Description | We have released a web portal where researchers that are not experts in simulations can perform some very simple XANES simulations. Through the web portal, three codes can be run: FDMNES, ORCA and Quantum Expresso. There are instructions of how to access the web-CONEXS and how to run the different codes available at Diamond light source when users are granted beam time. To run web-CONEXS, you need to have a federal ID and password, and also have had a proposal accepted in one of the spectroscopy beamlines at some point in the past. |
| Type Of Technology | Webtool/Application |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Open Source License? | Yes |
| Impact | Too early to say |
| Description | CONEXS launch event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This was a one day meeting held at Diamond Light Source for the launch of the CONEXS network. We invited several key members of the community, both experimentalist and theoreticians, to launch CONEXS and gather the requirements for future activities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | First CONEXS International Conference 2020 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The first CONEXS International Conference took place at Newcastle University on the 18-20 February 2020, bringing together leading national and international experts to discuss emerging trends in X-Ray Spectroscopy and the intersection of experiment and theory. It was attended by 70 people and discussions held at the conference were used to initiate new collaborations, achieving the objectives outlined. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | First CONEXS Summer School on X-ray Spectroscopy |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | The Summer Schools will provide introductory lectures to X-Ray Spectroscopy, as well as lectures and practical workshops led by experts in the field. Our first Summer School was hosted by Newcastle University on the 10-12 September 2019, focusing on the near-edge structure of X-Ray absorption spectra including FDMNES and CP2K. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Second CONEXS Summer School and International Conference 2021 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The 2021 CONEXS Summer School and International Conference were hosted by Diamond Light Source on the 15-19 March 2021. Due to the COVID pandemic the event has to be done on-line. Quanty and ORCA were the two codes taught during the summer school. The conference had presentations from leading national and international experts on emerging trends in X-Ray spectroscopy and the intersection of experiment and theory. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Third CONEXS Summer School and International Conference 2022 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The third CONEXS Summer School took place on Newcastle from Monday 28th of April to Wednesday the 30th of April 2022. FEFF and Quantum Expresso were the codes selected for the summer school. The third CONEXS International Conference took place on Newcastle from Wednesday 30 March to Friday 1 April 2022, bringing together expert speakers from across the world to discuss the theme of 'Emerging Trends in X-ray Spectroscopy'. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |