Dr Martin, a Research Associate in the School of Physics and the South West Nuclear Hub, is one of a small group of 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, Dr Martin will conduct research as part of a Fellowship entitled "Transforming the national infrastructure for detecting, characterising and mapping radiation". This project 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, besides colleagues at Bristol, include the Atomic Weapons Establishment, 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 is highly active in his area of research, having achieved an outstanding 30 publications during his PhD. These cover nuclear forensics, robotics and radiation sensing. His Doctoral thesis was published as part of the Springer Thesis collection, recognising outstanding postgraduate research. He has established an extensive network of supporters worldwide, academic and industrial, including partners in Japan, USA, France, Canada, Ukraine and Portugal.

Speaking about the award, he 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”.

You can read more about the Fellowships in the Royal Academy of Engineering's news release.