The University of Surrey is seeking an outstanding doctoral student candidate to join its nuclear physics group to investigate properties of novel radiation detectors for applications in nuclear science and radiation detection. The PhD is funded by the UK Nuclear Threat Reduction network (NTR-net). UK nationals are preferred. Citizens of EU countries or other NATO member states may also be considered.
Radiation portal monitors provide safety screening where the tracking of radioactive material is required. These monitors are required to maintain their performance over long deployment periods and so their performance following exposure to the environment is a key metric for the suitability of new systems.
The student will lead a study on the degradation of pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) performance for potential scintillator-based detection systems over a lifetime of exposure.
They will construct devices using appropriate materials before exposing them to environments intended to simulate a lifetime of exposure, such as temperature cycling in a thermal chamber.
Alongside experts in radiation detection, the student will then perform a quantitative analysis of any degradation in performance and the impact of exposures to the anticipated lifetime of a device.