Karen Syres is a Senior Lecturer in Physics at the University of Central Lancashire. She is Chair of the Institute of Physics (IOP) Thin Films and Surfaces Group. Karen’s research primarily focusses on materials for energy. She is particularly interested in ionic liquids which show great promise for transforming industrial processes such as CO₂ capture, catalysis and photovoltaics. She carries out most of her research at national facilities and synchrotrons using photoemission and X-ray absorption techniques.