The National XPS Service (HarwellXPS) has launched a new EPSRC Photoemission Spectroscopy (PES) Roadmapping Survey, and UK materials researchers are invited to contribute. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has commissioned an update to the national PES roadmap to identify emerging needs, future opportunities, and priorities for investment across the UK research landscape.
The Henry Royce Institute hosts a wide range of PES facilities within its Imaging & Characterisation Research Area, supporting Materials Science and Innovation across the UK. These capabilities are used extensively beyond a single theme, enabling advances in surface engineering, catalysis, energy storage, semiconductors, quantum technologies, metals and alloys, and the development of next-generation functional materials.
Whether you use PES routinely, apply it occasionally, or depend on data generated by national facilities, your perspective is extremely valuable to the Roadmapping Process.
The most widely used form of PES is X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). However, the survey also covers other photoemission techniques, including:
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Ultraviolet Photoelectron Spectroscopy (UPS)
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Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy (ARPES)
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Hard X-ray Photoemission Spectroscopy (HAXPES)
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Auger–Meitner Electron Spectroscopy (also in scope, although not strictly photoemission)
WHO SHOULD RESPOND?
The survey is open to:
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University researchers at all career stages who use or rely on PES
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Technical specialists who manage or operate PES instrumentation
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Industrial researchers applying PES in commercial or translational R&D
The roadmap team is particularly interested in understanding current UK capabilities, how we compare internationally, key scientific and infrastructural challenges, and opportunities for strengthening the national PES ecosystem.
Your feedback will help shape the UK’s long-term direction for PES and ensure the updated roadmap reflects the needs of the wider materials research community.
Take the survey here.
Closing date: 31 March 2026
Royce partners and collaborators are encouraged to share the survey widely with colleagues, facilities teams, and research groups.
Find out more about HarwellXPS: https://www.harwellxps.uk/
