Professor D.J.H. Cockayne F.R.S. retired on 30th September 2009 from his Chair in the Physical Examination of Materials in the University of Oxford. To mark this occasion a one day conference was organised in Oxford on 7th September 2009. The topic of the meeting was “Electron microscopy and diffraction of defects, nanostructures, interfaces and amorphous materials”, reflecting David Cockayne's broad research interests. It was divided into the following three sessions covering the main scientific areas in which he had made seminal contributions:
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Weak beam technique of electron microscopy of defects;
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Applications of electron diffraction to the study of amorphous and crystalline materials;
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Characterisation of nanoscale structures and interfaces.
The conference was a great success. It was attended by over one hundred participants, many of them from overseas, demonstrating the high esteem and affection in which David Cockayne is held universally. The papers stimulated lively discussions. The current special issue of Philosophical Magazine contains all but one of the papers presented at the conference.
The organisers wish to express their gratitude to JEOL and Gatan for their generous support.