𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗡𝘂𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗯-𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝗟𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵-𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲As the principal researcher for this project, I coordinated every significant stage from experimental formulation through to delivery to the relevant stakeholders.The project investigated the link between graphite structure at the sub-micron scale and material performance during nuclear reactor operation, with the aim of supplying learning to ensure the UK’s reactor fleet continues to safely operate beyond their designed life and contribute knowledge to the development of 4th generation graphite-moderated reactor designs.To achieve fully predictive models of material behaviour, greater understanding of artificial graphites is needed so I quantified the material at a resolution and volume not previously achieved. Due to the nature of graphite, and the difficulties associated with manipulating the material with an ion-beam, a large amount of time was dedicated to developing the Plasma Focused Ion-Beam (P-FIB) serial sectioning tomography (SST) technique for this novel application.I adapted and developed the standardised FIB-SST techniques so larger volumes of data could be acquired at higher resolutions before being processed & analysed by a developed python script: I utilised AI and machine learning for automated and accurate phase segmentation, before being reconstructed and quantitatively analysed within a virtual environment.During this project, I actively pursued opportunities for personal development, becoming technically proficient on all facilities available to me including SEM, FIB, Raman Spectroscopy, XRD, TEM Lamella sample preparation, XCT, aswell as volunteering in research projects adjacent to my field, and leading numerous beam-line experiments (ISIS, Oxford).

𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 & 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 - 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁As part of the iCASE scheme, I conducted 7 months of my research at the UK’s leading nuclear laboratory working as part of wider teams to deliver characterisation data for internal and external customers. The secondment offered the opportunity to operate within an active environment and understand the unique challenges that entails. I particularly enjoyed working as part of a larger R&D environment, daily interfacing with multiple internal teams and external institutions to ensure we delivered the business and technical objectives. Security clearance was required for this role and is still valid.