Robin Smith joined SHU as a lecturer in August 2017 after completing his PhD in nuclear physics at the University of Birmingham. He mainly teaches undergraduate students on the Physics BSc and Physics MPhys programmes. He specialises in experimental measurements of nuclear reactions, relevant to nuclear structure and nuclear astrophysics, examining the shapes of atomic nuclei and determining the rates of fusion reactions in stars. Robin is also leading projects in radiation detector development, which are to be used in the energy sector for nuclear data measurements and also for nuclear security. He has supervised 5 nuclear physics PhD students to completion since 2019 as lead or co-lead supervisor and has on-going supervision of 5 PhD students.

Robin has authored a number of peer-reviewed publications in both theoretical and experimental nuclear physics. His publication on the Structure of the carbon-12 Hoyle state in 2017 was featured in Physics World magazine and APS Physics Viewpoint. The experiment itself appeared in the BBC television show, The Beginning and the End of the Universe, episode 2. He has given numerous talks at public events including TEDx.

Responsibilities

• Nuclear Academic Industry Liaison Society (NAILS) – SHU representative
• Postgraduate Research Tutor for the School of Engineering and Built Environment
• Leads several postgraduate research degrees within Engineering and Built Environment
• Course leader: Materials Science and Engineering PhD and MPhil
• Course leader: Plasma Surface Engineering PhD
• Course leader: Robotics MPhil and PhD

Awards

2019 - Few-Body Physics Young Researcher Award 

Specialist areas of interest

• Radiation detection
• Nuclear reactions
• Nuclear structure
• Nuclear data
• Neutron spectrum unfolding