Radiation safety, from the detector to the safety culture.

Certification and operation

In 2017 he completed Radiation Safety Officer and Transport of Dangerous Goods Officer training with the Radiation Safety Institute of Canada. In 2019 he completed operator training for the SLOWPOKE research reactor, the low-power pool reactor used for teaching and neutron-activation analysis. His RMC students toured the SLOWPOKE research reactor and ran a live neutron-activation experiment.

His radiation work predates Canada. He holds a postgraduate diploma in radiation physics (1992) and a master’s degree from Alexandria University on nuclear radiation detectors, with a thesis on a direct statistical model for the full-energy-peak efficiency of high-purity germanium (HPGe) detectors. Two 2011 papers present that model and test it on germanium detectors of different sizes. His Birmingham master’s project characterised a CZT detector.

Teaching radiation physics and CBRN

At the Royal Military College of Canada he taught health and radiation physics, and a course for military professionals in chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defence (CBRN): radiation transport and effects, military applications, nonproliferation, emergency response and decision-making (2021–2022). He has also taught MCNP and Serpent for radiation transport, shielding optimisation and dose assessment (2017–2020). Earlier, from 2005 to 2007, he taught radiation detection techniques: nuclear instrumentation and the statistics of radiation measurement.

His Master of Engineering Management at Ontario Tech University (2026) added courses in shielding engineering and advanced microdosimetry, and in nuclear regulations and waste management. Radiation Physics and Shielding, and Nuclear Radiation and Instrumentation, are among the twelve courses he is ready to teach.

Safety as a way of deciding

He writes about safety as a habit of decision-making rather than a set of rules. In his own words: “In the nuclear industry, we don’t have the luxury of ‘moving fast and breaking things.’” His note on decisions as a public trust names what replaces it: rigorous data analysis, a conservative approach that never trades safety for schedule or cost, and team-wide accountability in an environment where engineers can question assumptions. On the anniversary of Chernobyl he wrote that nuclear technology is among the safest industries when every required regulation is complied with.