Profile
Chris Hutson
My CV
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Education:
2001-2008: Secondary school 2008-2012: Trinity College, Oxford 2013-2018: University of Manchester 2014-2018: University of Bristol
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Qualifications:
School: A-Levels AAAA, GCSEs 9A*s, 1A
Oxford: Undergraduate degree (integrated with masters) MEng in Metallurgy and Materials Science
Manchester: Master of Science MSc in Corrosion Control Engineering (distance learning)
Bristol: PhD in Physics, got me my current job as a researcher!
Each stage helps along the way to the next step, though really only my final degree led to me becoming a researcher, I probably did it the long way round!
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Work History:
- Hyde Family Support Centre (social services) – admin clerk
- Bar tender
- Metallurgist (how did bits of a power station break?)
- Lab demonstrator (helps undergrad students with their experiments)
- PhD research student
- Researcher – “Post Doctoral Research Associate”
- Senior researcher – “Senior Post Doctoral Research Associate”
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Current Job:
- Senior researcher – “Senior Post Doctoral Research Associate”
It involves a lot of different activities such as:
Leading a development programme to inspect beneath decommissioned Magnox nuclear reactors using a multi-sensor payload on board a mobile robot platform.
Supervising Masters’ student projects, for example to understand how much radiation it takes to kill a robot.
High dose rate gamma irradiations of electronics and detectors.
Ground-based radiation mapping in Fukushima prefecture, Japan.Lecturing: Nuclear Fuel Cycle (Nuclear MSc module) and Environmental Radioactivity (Undergraduate
module).
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About Me:
I’m 31 years old, and have 2 young sons. I’m a researcher in Physics at the University of Bristol, and I have a passion for the environment, which is why I research into nuclear energy.
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I live near Bristol with my wife and boys. And our 4 chickens.
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I developed a diamond-based radiation detector system to measure radiation within nuclear facilities known to have high dose rates. This involved development of an operator-friendly interface, extensive detector testing and controlled calibrations, leading to several successful deployments of the device.
I work with radiation detectors like these:
And robotic systems to move detectors and sensors around in places humans can’t go where there’s too much radiation:
Is nuclear power safe? Yes, we have a dedicated workforce and the attitudes to safety are very cautious. Some of our experience in nuclear power has been difficult (thinking of famous nuclear incidents) so these are some of the principles we work to now:
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My Typical Day:
At the moment I mostly work from home, but I’m running some long radiation tests that mean I need to go into the lab nearly everyday briefly to take a sample.
At home I’m usually writing reports, emailing my students or preparing for the next experiment by choosing which components to buy.
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Talk to my students, check they’re doing fine and their work is going well.
Planning experiments – like, for example, how can we inspect a long pipe that contains radioactive sludge?!
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What I'd do with the prize money:
Buy some robot kits for a local school
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Does radiation break it?
What did you want to be after you left school?
Train driver
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Yes, when I was sarcastic to my teachers! oops.
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Kings of Leon
What's your favourite food?
Fish and Chips
Tell us a joke.
I saw a documentary on how ships are kept together. Riveting!
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