Inspired by Bragg
Collaboration beyond boundaries
Inspired by Bragg has brought together minds and ideas from across the University of Leeds and beyond to celebrate Sir William Henry Bragg - a former professor at Leeds who was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1915.
We have commemorated this legacy in a programme of inspiring activities, and the launch of a £96m research and teaching facility that bears his name.
Collaboration is at the heart of Inspired by Bragg – bringing together colleagues and communities across disciplines and institutions. We've broken down traditional boundaries to build new connections across education, research and industries on a global scale.
Discover how we've inspired a new generation of students and researchers, and find out how you can catch up on a series of international events.
Explore our activities
Think beyond boundaries - connect with our community.
WH Bragg and his son William Lawrence were curious, creative and prepared to think beyond traditional subject boundaries.
That's why our cultural producers have used the life and work of WH Bragg, with the current research of The Bragg Centre, to develop an inspiring programme of activities.
Our producers include The Cultural Institute, University of Leeds Poetry Centre, Public Engagement with Research, stage@leeds, Leeds University Library Galleries, and the School of Music.
New facilities for real-world impact
The William Henry Bragg building opens the door to global innovation and life-changing student education.
The state-of-the-art Sir William Henry Bragg building is part of an engineering and physical sciences hub on the north-east corner of our campus, bringing together the Schools of Physics & Astronomy, Computing, Robotics and the Bragg Centre for Materials Research.
Our first-class laboratories and specialised teaching spaces will provide some of the most advanced facilities in the country, enabling world-leading research and an outstanding student experience.
These facilities include a clean room to eradicate contaminants, control electromagnetic interference, and manage temperature and humidity. Our Wolfson Imaging Facility offers instrumentation that enables scientists to see molecules interacting in real time – the first facility in the UK to do so.
Our researchers will also have access to a 150m2 mock medical operating theatre, that will allow the Robotics at Leeds research group to develop life-saving robotic systems for medicine and healthcare.
‘The Worlds of If’ sculpture by Sara Barker, Sir William Henry Bragg Building. It is based on Bragg’s breakthrough equation and explores the connection between art and science. As you move around the sculpture, the symbols representing Bragg's research are gradually revealed.
‘The Worlds of If’ sculpture by Sara Barker, Sir William Henry Bragg Building. It is based on Bragg’s breakthrough equation and explores the connection between art and science. As you move around the sculpture, the symbols representing Bragg's research are gradually revealed.
One of the challenges already being investigated by the team at Leeds is the transition to a net zero carbon-emitting economy, and how novel materials and processes can play a critical role. Interdisciplinary research will support the design, modelling and fabrication of the materials needed to deliver energy-efficient electronics, resulting in new devices, systems and applications in the years ahead.
Just as the Braggs left their legacy on the world, this sophisticated facility is an investment in the University’s research capability for the future.
Find out how the Sir William Henry Bragg building is helping to address 21st century challenges.
The Braggs and their work
How breakthrough research at Leeds leaves a legacy for the future.
The Braggs were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1915 for their pioneering research at Leeds. Their work involved the proposal of an equation that allowed the position of atoms within crystals to be determined from X-ray photographs.
In a Leeds workshop, William and Lawrence developed and built a scientific instrument called an X-ray spectrometer which was used to measure the way X-rays scattered. By directing them through matter and recording the resulting diffraction pattern on photographic plates, the pair determined the atomic structure of crystallised materials.
Ever since, X-ray crystallography has been used throughout the world to reveal the structure of molecules fundamental to life.
WH Bragg with Spectrometer, 1922. Image courtesy of the Royal Institution Archive.
WH Bragg with Spectrometer, 1922. Image courtesy of the Royal Institution Archive.
Their work has helped shape many modern-day applications – from drug development to computers and astronomy. Medical ultrasound devices, fuel injectors in cars, and SONAR in submarines all rely on materials developed using X-ray crystallography.
When applied to the molecules of life, they ushered in the age of molecular biology and genetics – most famously as the technique that revealed the structure of DNA to James Watson and Francis Crick in 1953.
For an idea of the significance of what they achieved, the Braggs began their work on crystallography in 1909, and received their Nobel Prize within six years. In 2013, their work was named the third most important British innovation of the 20th century in an online vote of 80,000 people.
The equation, nλ = 2 d sin θ, is also known as Bragg’s Law.
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