Powder Diffraction and Rietveld Refinement School

The 2026 Powder Diffraction and Rietveld refinement school was held in Durham between 12th and 16th April 2026.

As per the original application the School involved a combination of formal lectures, classroom problems and hands-on computer exercises. The lectures were given by Prof John S.O. Evans (Durham), Associate Professor Emma McCabe (Durham), Dr Jeremy Cockcroft (UCL) and Professor Andy Fitch (ESRF). 50% of the course was held in “classroom mode” where each hour of lectures was followed by supporting pen-and-paper exercises. Students completed these exercises in groups (see below) and were supported in the sessions by the lecturing staff, by two tutors from Aarhus University (Early Career Researchers) and by Prof. Robert Dinnebier (Stuttgart).

Afternoon exercises were held in a computer classroom. Students followed a combination of prescribed exercises and “free choice” problems depending on their level of experience and research area. The full set of tutorials (perhaps >1000 powder challenges in total) can be accessed via the link: https://topas.webspace.durham.ac.uk/rietveld_school_tutorials/. Around 90% of these are made available after the school for others to follow via: https://topas.webspace.durham.ac.uk/topas_user_menu/. Related training material is also available on YouTube. Computer tutorials were set using either Excel (to introduce fundamental ideas of least squares and powder diffraction) or TOPAS, GSAS-II and FullProf. Students were supported during the computer exercises by the full teaching team and three PhD students from Durham (Esther Curtis, George Marshall, Oliver Wagstaff).

In addition to the formal training events, we organised a programme of informal activities each evening to promote inclusivity, student networking and group cohesion. We held an evening picture quiz where students had to identify cities round the world so that all delegates could contribute. We also organized a group treasure hunt so students could explore the history of Durham city; around a third of the questions set included a light-hearted crystallographic challenge. On the penultimate evening we held a course dinner. The University allowed us to hold this in the Great Hall of Durham Castle (where Harry Potter movies were recorded) at no additional cost. Students seemed to enjoy the opportunity to dine at Hogwarts!