Research 

• Liquid crystals

• Organic synthesis

• Palladium-catalysed cross-coupling reactions

• Ferroelectrics

• Polymer synthesis

Recent Research Highlights 

• Invited Speaker at the 10th International Conference on Ferroelectric Liquid Crystals, Stare Jablonki, Poland, September 2005.

• Organiser and Contributor of the Annual British Liquid Crystal Society Winter Workshop at Hull (1994 to ....).

• Treasurer, British Liquid Crystal Society (1999 to 2005).

• Member, British Liquid Crystal Society Committee (1994 to 2005).

• College Member of EPSRC (2000 to ....).

• Editor, Molecular Crystals and Liquid Crystals (2001 to ....).

• Editorial Board of Liquid Crystals Today - the newsletter of the International Liquid Crystal Society (2004 to ....).

• Refereeing a wide range of national and international journals.

• Refereeing of NSF research proposals from USA.

• Director, Kingston Chemicals Limited, manufacturer of liquid crystals for export to Europe, USA and Japan. Kingston Chemicals Limited is also involved in a number of research collaborations (a) DTI/University of York in the area of ferroelectric liquid crystal mixtures, (b) DTI/University of York/C-Tech Innovation Limited/aXr Limited/Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials Europe Limited/Intellect in the area of recycling of used liquid crystal materials from displays, (c) CRLO Displays in the area of ferroelectric liquid crystal mixtures for displays, (d) De La Rue in the area of chiral nematic liquid crystals in anti-counterfeiting materials. Kingston Chemicals Limited was Launched in April 2000 to provide an additional and complementary route for research activities, and to exploit the significant research achievements of the research group in a commercial environment.

Current Research Grants and Contracts 

• Synclinic and Anticlinic Mesophases for Photonic Applications
     Principal investigator: J W Goodby (York University)
     Co-investigators: Dr Mike Hird, Dr Georg Mehl and Dr David Lacey
     Awarding body: EU
     Amount awarded: 150000 EUR
  
  

• Liquid Crystals for Applications in Photonic Devices for Telecommunications
     Principal investigator: J W Goodby (York University)
     Co-investigator: Dr Mike Hird
     Awarding body: EPSRC
     Amount awarded: 262842
  
  

• Dual Mode Nematic Liquid Crystal Display
     Principal investigator: J W Goodby
     Co-investigator: Dr Mike Hird
     Awarding body: EPSRC
     Amount awarded: 109662
  
  

• Ferroelectric and Vertically-aligned Nematic Liquid Crystals
     Principal investigator: Dr Mike Hird
     Awarding body: Kingston Chemicals, Ltd.
     Amount awarded: 43210 in toto
  
  

• Ferroelectric and Nematic Liquid Crystals for Displays
     Principal investigator: J W Goodby
     Co-investigator: Dr Mike Hird
     Awarding body: The Department of Trade & Industry
     Amount awarded: 132270
  
  

Conference Presentations 

• Poster presentation. Synthesis and mesomorphic properties of novel unsymmetrical banana-shaped esters, M. Hird, K.M. Fergusson, at the 19th British Liquid Crystal Society Annual Conference, Exeter, March, 2005.

• Oral presentation. Novel chiral bent-core esters exhibiting interesting mesomorphism, M. Hird, K.M. Fergusson, at the 19th British Liquid Crystal Society Annual Conference, Exeter, March, 2005.

• Poster presentation. Synthesis and mesomorphic properties of novel unsymmetrical banana-shaped esters, M. Hird, K.M. Fergusson, at the Young Researchers Workshop, Hull, June, 2005.

• Oral presentation. Liquid crystals - banana and bent-core compounds, K.M. Fergusson, M. Hird, at the Young Researchers Workshop, Hull, June, 2005.

• Poster presentation. Synthesis and mesomorphic properties of novel unsymmetrical banana-shaped esters, M. Hird, K.M. Fergusson, at the 10th International Conference on Ferroelectric Liquid Crystals, Stare Jablonki, Poland, September 2005.

• Oral presentation. Novel chiral bent-core esters exhibiting interesting mesomorphism, M. Hird, K.M. Fergusson, at the 10th International Conference on Ferroelectric Liquid Crystals, Stare Jablonki, Poland, September 2005.

• Invited oral presentation. Design, synthesis and properties of materials in reduced symmetry mesophases - ferroelectrics, antiferroelectrics, frustrated phases and banana phases, M. Hird, at the 10th International Conference on Ferroelectric Liquid Crystals, Stare Jablonki, Poland, September 2005.

• Invited Oral presentation, Design, Synthesis and Structure - Property Relationships of Liquid Crystals, M. Hird, at the British Liquid Crystal Society Annual Winter Workshop, Hull, December 2005.

Other Public Output 

• Invited oral presentation. Liquid crystals and palladium-catalysed cross-coupling reactions, M. Hird, at the Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kingston University, London, March 2005.