Dr James Tickner works in applied nuclear physics and is involved in developing radiation instrumentation.
Current activities
Dr James Tickner is a Senior Research Scientist with the Instrument Systems for On-Line Analysis program at CSIRO Minerals. He also heads CSIRO’s Security Technologies stream.
He is involved in developing radiation instrumentation for problems as diverse as measuring the elemental and mineralogical composition of bulk materials, detecting trace amounts of precious metals and developing scanning technologies for screening luggage and air cargo.
Dr Ticker has a wide range of nuclear expertise, which includes:
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advanced radiation transport theory
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'Monte Carlo' modelling
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strong experimental background
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custom-designed readout electronics
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digital data processing
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software design.
Dr Tickner was a co-inventor of the fast-neutron/gamma-ray radiography method for air cargo screening. He played a key role in the development, installation and commissioning of a prototype Air Cargo Scanner at Brisbane International Airport, Australia.
Dr Tickner is currently the Project Leader for the ongoing development and commercialisation of the Air Cargo Scanner technology in collaboration with Nuctech Company Ltd, China.
Background
Dr Tickner’s doctorate was based at the ZEUS experiment in Hamburg, Germany, which studied the structure of the proton by colliding high-energy protons with electrons.
Dr Tickner was a co-inventor of the fast-neutron/gamma-ray radiography method for air cargo screening.
On completing his Doctorate in 1997 he was awarded a Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) Postdoctoral fellowship to continue working on the ZEUS experiment.
Dr Tickner resigned from the fellowship to immigrate to Australia where he took a position at CSIRO Minerals as a Postdoctoral fellow in 1998.
Key projects that Dr Tickner has been involved with include:
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development of 'Monte Carlo' models and data analysis methods for XENA, a neutron-based analyser for cement raw-meal composition installed at a South Australian cement plant
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invention of a three-dimensional gamma-ray camera concept for humanitarian demining, suitable for imaging buried objects that can only be viewed from one side
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creation of a powerful 'Monte Carlo' expert system for simulating, understanding and optimising new nuclear instruments
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development of x-ray fluorescence, neutron-activation and gamma-ray activation methods for the analysis of sub-parts-per-million concentrations of valuable heavy metals
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invention of a new type of x-ray diffraction spectrometer for rapid, low-cost, on-line mineralogical analysis.
Academic qualifications
Dr Tickner has been awarded a:
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Bachelor of Arts with first-class Honours in Physics from Oxford University, United Kingdom, 1994
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Doctor of Philosophy in Particle Physics also from Oxford University, 1997.
Dr Ticker’s doctoral thesis was titled Proton Structure Functions at low Q².
Achievements
Dr Tickner has credit for a range of:
Dr Tickner’s achievements and awards include:
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Finalist for the Eureka Prize for Science in Support of Defence or National Security, 2008
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CSIRO Minerals ‘Best Paper Award’, 2008
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Australian Institute of Policy & Science Young Tally Poppy Award, 2007
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CSIRO Medal for Research Achievement, 2006
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Australian Academy of Science Frederick White Prize, 2006
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Australian Institute of Physics Alan Walsh Award for service to industry, 2004
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CSIRO Minerals Innovation Award for development of a prototype fast-neutron and gamma-ray radiography scanner for air cargo, 2003
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CSIRO Minerals Innovation Award for development of XENA, a prompt-neutron activation analyser for cement raw meal, 2000.
Dr Tickner also served as a member and secretary of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s coordinated research project on humanitarian demining.
He is currently an editor of the international journal Applied Radiation and Isotopes.
Read about the Novel scanner to improve air cargo security.
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