
Professor Tom Scott
M.Sci. Hons(Bristol), PhD
Current positions
Professor in Materials
Interface Analysis Centre
Contact
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Research interests
My research is based around ageing, corrosion and characterisation of radioactive materials in engineered and environmental systems, and has resulted in over 60 published papers and 3 patents. I am the academic lead for the Sellafield UK Centre of Expertise for Uranium and Reactive Metals. Working with Sellafield I have successfully developed and deployed two novel radiation detection technologies in the past 5 years, including (i) the Advanced Airborne Radiation Monitoring (AARM) system which won the 2014 RAEng ERA award for innovation as well as (ii) an extreme dose radiation detection system made from diamond which provides inspiration for the onwards development of diamond-based nuclear energy harvesters and power cells.
Active interests also include the geochemistry of iron and iron bearing minerals (PhD Specialisation) for the uptake and environmental remediation of heavy metals and radionuclides. This extends to a developed interest in the corrosion and microstructural ageing behaviour of structural materials (300 series steels) in reactor and storage environments.
Research has been funded in association with the AWE, CERN, Sellafield and EDF Energy (HTC) with complementary funding from EPSRC, STFC, NERC, NATO, the Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering.
Projects and supervisions
Research projects
LIBRA - Lithium Breeding
Principal Investigator
Description
LIBRA is a project funded as part of the Fusion Innovation Programme (FIP) which is aimed at designing, building and demonstrating special gas flow loop for making tritium, one of…Managing organisational unit
Interface Analysis CentreDates
02/10/2023 to 31/03/2025
upply
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
Interface Analysis CentreDates
01/10/2023 to 30/09/2025
HyDUS
Principal Investigator
Description
Long term energy storageManaging organisational unit
Dates
20/10/2022
FoF - A novel voltaic for direct gamma-electric power generation
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
Interface Analysis CentreDates
01/09/2022 to 29/02/2024
FoF - A novel voltaic for direct gamma-electric power generation
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
Interface Analysis CentreDates
01/09/2022 to 29/02/2024
Thesis supervisions
A CFD-Based Framework for Turbulence Mapping and UAV Flight Zoning on Nuclear Sites
Supervisors
The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident: An Analysis Over 10 Orders of Magniture
Supervisors
Diamond-based dosimetry for measurements in highly radioactive environments
Supervisors
Tritium storage & processing for fusion energy
Supervisors
Development of an inversion method for the improved determination of the spatial distribution of radioactive materials using UAVs
Supervisors
Enhancing Capabilities for the Detection and Identification of Radioactive Material Trafficked in Urban Environments
Supervisors
Using advanced correlative microscopy techniques to investigate the behaviour of Zirconium alloys
Supervisors
Gamma detector system for nuclear fingerprinting
Supervisors
Retention of hydrogen isotopes in diamond for applications in fusion energy
Supervisors
Engineering UO2 Thin Films to Investigate Nuclear Fuel Behaviour
Supervisors
Environmental Degradation of Historical Materials in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Supervisors
A study of hyperspectral reflectance and fluorescence imaging as alternative Methods for assessing coral health
Supervisors
Pulsed-DC plasma-assisted CVD
Supervisors
Development of Lighter Than Air UAVs for Automated Monitoring in Nuclear Facilities
Supervisors
Augmented Reality guidance for fusion plant maintenance
Supervisors
The water vapour corrosion of uranium niobium alloys
Supervisors
A Study of the Crystallography and Ageing Behaviour of the U-Nb Binary Alloy System
Supervisors
Radiation mapping and hot particle localisation using quadrupedal robots and multi-sensor arrays
Supervisors
Opportunities and challenges for rare earth element and actinide recovery from coal and coal fly ash
Supervisors
A geometrical model of alpha and beta-radiation fields across spent nuclear fuel / water interfaces
Supervisors
Robotic Manipulators & Advanced Emerging Technologies
Supervisors
Evaluating the Use of Low-cost and Lightweight Unoccupied Aerial Systems in Environmental Radiation Mapping
Supervisors
A study of alteration processes in bentonite
Supervisors
The 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident
Supervisors
Evaluating the corrosion behaviour of uranium silicide phases
Supervisors
Leveraging the Spatial Response of Radiation Portal Monitors
Supervisors
Investigating the Reactivity of Mixed Actinide Oxides in Nuclear Waste
Supervisors
Development of beta-voltaic power cells via neutron techniques for the reuse of nuclear waste
Supervisors
Understanding the Corrosion Behaviour of Metallic Materials for the Long-Term Containment of Nuclear Waste
Supervisors
Work function modification studies for energy applications
Supervisors
Hydrogen Isotope Separation using Porous Materials
Supervisors
A Diamond Gammavoltaic Cell
Supervisors
Publications
Recent publications
31/07/2026Getting the Balance Right – Considerations of Lithium Enrichment for the Fusion Fuel Cycle with a Focus on Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Joule
On the feasibility of fissile material production with inertial electrostatic confinement fusion devices
Frontiers in Nuclear Engineering
Pyrophoricity of Uranium and Uranium Compounds: Mechanisms, Knowledge Gaps, and Implications for Nuclear Safety
Journal of Nuclear Materials
Shielding Design for IECF Devices: Ensuring Safety Through Material Analysis
Frontiers in Nuclear Engineering
Lower carbon power systems through longer duration energy storage
14th Mediterranean Conference on Power Generation Transmission, Distribution and Energy Conversion – MED POWER 2024
Thesis
Sorption of uranium onto iron bearing minerals
Supervisors
Award date
01/01/2005


