Dr Axel Ekani Nkodo, Research Manager

Axel Ekani Nkodo

"The group I work in looks at what kinds of materials could be used in hair care products to deliver benefits like softness and shine to consumers," says physicist Dr Axel Ekani Nkodo, Research Manager for the Hair Care Group at Unilever, and IOP Member. "I use my physics skills quite a lot because we are depositing things on surfaces (in our case hair fibres), and looking at friction and lubrication, as well as the mechanics and surface properties of hair fibres. Many of my colleagues are chemists or physical chemists, but we also work on understanding the properties of formulations and solutions so we have people with backgrounds in polymer physics and rheology, as well as condensed matter physics and mathematics."

"As a kid I quite liked mathematics, so I went for a scientific baccalaureate [French equivalent to 'A' Levels] with maths and physics," says Axel. He continued studying both subjects over the next two years, when he attended one of his native France's preparatory schools for entry into the Grandes Écoles (single subject higher education institutions). Having passed his final exams, which allowed him admission into an engineering Grande École, Axel opted for teacher training instead. As the two years of preparatory school courses are at the same level as the first two years of an undergraduate degree, he only needed one further year of study to graduate with a Bachelor's degree.

"I took a degree in physics and chemistry teaching, but I didn't like the course because you didn't have to understand anything about the science," says Axel, adding that he gave up on the idea of becoming a teacher and decided to do a further 'third year'. "I went for another Bachelor's degree in fundamental physics (at the Université Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg). I enjoyed doing things like statistical physics and quantum mechanics and so going on to a PhD seemed quite natural," he recalls.

Axel remained at the Université Louis Pasteur for his doctorate on the dynamics of polyelectrolytes in solution, which he completed in 2001. He then spent two years as a Research Fellow in the physics department of the University of California at Santa Barbara looking into the mechanical properties of biological fibres, before returning to France to take up the job he had been offered by a start-up company. When that job failed to materialise, he successfully applied to become a Measurement Scientist in the Advanced Measurement Group at Unilever - a post he held from July 2004 until moving into his current position in April 2007.

"The group I was originally in develops methodology for characterising skin, hair and fabrics and seeing the impact of products. They use atomic force microscopy, electron microscopy, spectroscopy, X-rays and nanotribology techniques. In my postdoc I'd had lots of experience with different types of microscopy, and they were looking for someone who'd had exposure to different techniques," he explains. Axel first joined the IOP when he began working at Unilever, who he says pay for his membership and encourage his attendance at IOP one-day conferences. "Major companies acknowledge you have to connect with outside people and see what different research techniques are being used in Universities. Being part of a professional society like the IOP helps develop networking and keeps you in touch with what's happening outside your company," he says.

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