Assistant Research Professor in Advanced Nuclear Applications
Academic Division: Energy, Fluids and Turbomachinery
Research group: Energy
Email: cg914@cam.ac.uk
Research interests
My research interests span nuclear materials, materials performance, materials degradation, radiation damage in both fission and fusion environments. My major interests revolve around advanced nuclear applications and nuclear fission power plants (SMRs/AMRs) and fusion reactors for energy production. I am passionate about all nuclear technologies, from traditional (current nuclear power plant fleet) to innovative concepts.
I am primarily an experimentalist with contributions in the field of oxidation, corrosion, mechanical testing, manufacturing and stoichiometry, irradiation effects in advanced nuclear fuels and reactor materials, providing insights that support the design of safer, more efficient and more resilient nuclear energy technologies. I also have collaborations in the field of modeling and simulation of nuclear power plant systems specifically in the field of activation and contamination for the pressurized water reactor fleet and fusion devices.
I was awarded grants totaling 1.8 M€ as PI, an ERC Starting Grant in 2024, activated in 2026 called URÅNIA: Unique Research Asset for Nuclear Innovative Applications. This is a frontier science project to fund my own specialised research group with a focus on testing the URÅNIA methodology : this aim to shift our focus from researching and understanding initiation and propagation in materials degradation processes to directly focus on the unseen incubation stage and the nature and role of precursors prior to initiation events. This has real world impact on nuclear materials issues and safety of nuclear plants, it does also have potential as a new methodology to shed light on degradation events across other disciplines in the realm of energy materials and materials in general.
I also served outside Academia in roles such as Business Development Manager and Senior Consultant in the nuclear sector, always focusing on nuclear matters and specifically on nuclear safety, waste management and decommissioning, nuclear reactors research and development.
Strategic themes
Energy, transport and urban infrastructure
Nuclear materials, nuclear power plants, nuclear fuel cycle, advanced reactors
Manufacturing, design and materials
Materials development and testing, microstructural characterisation and manufacturing, design performance
Complex, resilient and intelligent systems
Safeguards
Research projects
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101162349
Research opportunities
I am recruiting PhDs and postdocs on the ERC URÅNIA. Further PhD opportunities are available with international collaborators subject to funding
Department role and responsibilities