Dr Peter Martin of the University of Bristol has been awarded a prestigious five-year Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowship.
Dr Martin, a Research Associate in the School of Physics and the South West Nuclear Hub, is one of 16 early career academics across UK Universities to win this funding which aims to help top researchers establish their independence and international reputation in their respective subject areas.
Starting in September 2020, Peter will conduct research as part of a Fellowship entitled Transforming the national infrastructure for detecting, characterising and mapping radiation.
This Fellowship seeks to develop more responsive, higher resolution and lower-cost platforms for detecting and preventing the unauthorised movement of radioactive materials, as well as the monitoring networks in which they reside.
Dr Martin’s collaborators on the programme include the University of Bristol, AWE, Sellafield, Gunnebo, Sutton House and the UK Atomic Energy Authority, building on the initial research activities such as ‘Project Gatekeeper’, published earlier this year.
Dr Martin has an excellent track record and is proactive in his area of research, achieving an outstanding 30 publications during his PhD, covering nuclear forensics, robotics and radiation sensing. He has also had his Doctoral Thesis published as part of the Springer Thesis collection, recognising outstanding postgraduate research. He has established an extensive network of supporters worldwide, but academic and industrial, including partners in Japan, USA, France, Canada, Ukraine and Portugal.
Speaking about the award, Peter said: “I am very thankful to the Royal Academy of Engineering for providing me with this Research Fellowship to commence my own programme of independent research and establish myself as an international leader in the field.”
“I am excited to start work on this nationally important work and helping the UK evolve its security systems, improving both the detection technology and the associated processes”.
Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowships
The Royal Academy of Engineering offers Research Fellowships each year to outstanding early-career researchers to support them to become future research leaders in engineering. The scheme's objectives are to:
- Support the best early-career researchers in establishing their independence and international reputation
- Provide long-term support enabling the pursuit of an ambitious programme of engineering research and impact
- Develop ambassadors for the Academy and advocates for STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines