Dr Caroline Shenton-Taylor
Biography
Caroline obtained her PhD in the field of Magnetic Compton Scattering in 2007 from the University of Warwick. Working with synchrotron X-rays, she explored a range of magnetic materials with applications including enhanced computer memory and innovative refrigeration. From 2007 to 2017 Caroline transitioned into industry, leading a diverse portfolio of scientific research projects on behalf of the UK Ministry of Defence and UK Home Office. Throughout this time Caroline was the Team and Technical Lead for an interdisciplinary research team, focused on the development of novel methods to detect the presence of illegal radiological and nuclear materials. In May 2017, Caroline joined the University of Surrey as an Applied Nuclear Physics Lecturer, promoting academic research aligned to Nuclear Security and Nuclear Threat Reduction. Presently her interests include the use of smart materials to enhance radiation detection and the coupling of detectors with innovative deployment modes. In her spare time Caroline is passionate about scientific exchange and is an active science blogger and speaker, chatting all things science at festivals, schools and community groups. Caroline was the winner of the 2014 UK Famelab competition and the following year used the prize money to launch a space balloon in honour of Auguste Piccard!
Areas of specialism
Nuclear Physics;
Radiation;
Nuclear Security;
Environmental Protection;
Scientific Outreach
My qualifications
Previous roles
Research interests
Radiation detection in complex environments.
Applications include Nuclear Security, Environmental Protection and Monitoring.
Research areas:
- Quantum dot enhanced detection technology
- Optimised sensor placement for radiological research
- Detection of radioactive concealed structures
- Innovative alpha detection for environmental applications
- Novel algorithms and data handling applied to radiation spectra
Research collaborations
Caroline has collaborated and exchanged scientific ideas with a wide range of organisations including:
- US Government Defence Departments
- US National Laboratories
- University of Illinois
- AWE
- BAE
- Imperial College London
- University of Manchester
- University of Liverpool
- University College London
- St Mary's University
- National Physical Laboratory
- UK Home Office
- UK Ministry of Defence
Scientific Communication
Caroline is an active scientific communicator, with appearances on BBC Radio 4, local radio, a wide range of festivals and evening lectures. She was the winner of the UK Famelab 2014 competition. Details of her outreach and blog are available via cshentontaylor.com
Research
Research interests
Radiation detection in complex environments
- Quantum dot enhanced detection technology
- Optimised sensor placement for radiological research
- Detection of radioactive concealed structures
- Innovative alpha detection for environmental applications
- Novel algorithms and data handling applied to radiation spectra
Research collaborations
Caroline has collaborated and exchanged scientific ideas with a wide range of organisations including:
- US Government Defence Departments
- US National Laboratories
- University of Illinois
- AWE
- BAE
- Imperial College London
- University of Manchester
- University of Liverpool
- University College London
- St Mary's University
- National Physical Laboratory
- UK Home Office
- UK Ministry of Defence
My teaching
- Physics Admissions Tutor
- U/G Year 1 (Level 4) Fundamentals of Physics
- U/G Year 1 (Level 4) Small Group Tutorial Classes
- MSc Radiation Laboratory, part of academic supervisory team
- PhD supervision
- MSc Dissertation Project supervision
- MPhys Visiting Tutor
- BSc Final Year Project supervision
- Professional Training Year (PTY) Visiting Tutor
- Personal Tutor
My publications
Highlights
Examples of co-authored publications/articles/proceedings are listed below.