What attracted research physicist Luc Stafford to this field was the vast potential of studying plasma and the complexity of this highly reactive material. “Studying plasma lets us make connections with all the sub-disciplines of physics: electromagnetism, fluid mechanics, statistical physics, quantum mechanics.”

Stafford admits that he is a great dreamer, but he’s never been satisfied with studying the traditional applications of plasma, in lighting, television and micro-electronics. “I’m always getting out of my comfort zone! I like to innovate with plasma-based processes, to head off in unusual directions. In the materials field, for instance, Stafford and his team were able to make some major advances in the use of plasma for treating wood, and in fact have become world leaders in this application. More recently, his research team has been looking at agriculture. “We’ve started work on water treatment that will allow us to use plasma to create pesticide-like products, but without the harmful effects of chemicals.”

For Stafford, dreaming remains a basic aspect of his job. But does he always find time to dream? “In fact that’s one of my faults, that I dream too much! I’m never happier than when I’m musing about cross-disciplinary research themes and coming up with new projects. It’s my way of pushing myself to do my best.”