Ion Man
Wed, 19 Jan 2011 15:36:00 GMT
Professor Steve Donnelly’s research into a vital aspect of nuclear power generation can accelerate now that he has relocated to the University of Huddersfield.
Steve joined the University at the start of the New Year in his new role as Head of Engineering and Technology, after moving from the University of Salford where he was Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Environment, and he is relishing the new opportunity.
"One of the many attractions of moving to Huddersfield, " said Steve, "is that I will have at least one day a week for research as it is seen as a core part of my activities. The Vice-Chancellor and his team here are strongly focused on increasing the University's research capacity and I share this vision and am delighted to be able to make a contribution to bringing it about."
His work revolves around the interaction of energy particles with matter; an area that has relevance to materials for space, the semiconductor industry and particularly to the nuclear industry because it will help decide the materials used for the construction of the next generation of reactors
In the future, fission reactors will have to withstand much higher temperatures and greater damaging effects of neutron bombardment. The choice of materials for reactor components is therefore of crucial importance and Steve's research will play a key role.
But there will be no handling of radioactive materials or actual neutron bombardment at Huddersfield. Steve uses ion beams – which are completely safe – to simulate the effects that neutrons have on materials.
And for this he needs a very impressive piece of technology, a facility that he and his team have developed consisting of a large electron microscope connected to an ion accelerator. It will shortly be installed at the University of Huddersfield and will be accompanied by post-doctoral researchers and PhD students who are working with Steve.
But although his research and some of his team will continue on an existing path, Steve is also looking forward to new collaborations and new projects now that he has joined the University of Huddersfield's School of Computing and Engineering.
"There is some very exciting work being done here, in the globally-renowned Centre for Precision Technologies for example, and I will be on the lookout for collaboration. I already have some projects in nanotechnology, as ion beams increasingly being used for applications in this area – as of course are electron microscopes. There will undoubtedly be overlap of research interests with the CPT."
He spent 24 years at the University of Salford, but Steve Donnelly – born in Liverpool and brought up Northern Ireland – has led a diverse career which has included academic posts in Belgium and Australia and extended collaborative visits to major laboratories in the US, France and Japan. When he is not engrossed in physics and materials science, he probably has a guitar in his hands. He has a collection of 15 instruments, some of them vintage, and uses them to play everything from rock and folk to pop music, with Dylan and the Beatles being particular favourites.
Here too the move to Huddersfield makes sense. Professor Donnelly is interested in recording techniques and has supervised student projects in music technology – a field that is another of the University's great strengths.
More information on Steve can be found at the following web-site:
