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Robert Cywinski

Professor Robert Cywinski (Bob Cywinski) is Dean of Applied Sciences at the University of Huddersfield. He is a physicist working in the fields of condensed matter physics, neutron and muon beam physics, accelerator physics and nuclear physics, with a particular interest in large scale science facilities. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics.

Background

Bob Cywinski was born in Huddersfield in 1952. He attended Huddersfield New College before moving to the University of Manchester to study physics in 1970. After graduating in 1973 he moved to the University of Salford where he was awarded a PhD in physics (magnetism and neutron scattering) in 1976. Bob was a postdoctoral researcher in the Metal Physics Group, within the physics department at Imperial College, London before moving to Monash University, Australia as a Research Fellow. Bob returned to the UK in 1980 to work at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) where between 1980 and 1985 he was part of the team responsible for building the ISIS spallation neutron source.

Bob moved to the University of Reading to take up a lectureship in physics in 1985, before moving to the University of St Andrews as Professor of Natural Philosophy in the School of Physics and Astronomy in 1994. In 2000 Bob became Professor of Physics within the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Leeds where he also held the position of Pro-Dean for Research within the Faculty of Mathematics and Physical Sciences. In 2008 Bob moved to the University of Huddersfield as Professor of Physics, becoming Dean of Applied Sciences in 2009. In 2011 he established the International Institute for Accelerator Applications for the development and deployment of advanced accelerator science in collaboration with, for example, Siemens, STFC and ESS.

Research Activities

Bob’s principal field of research is the application of neutron scattering, muon spin relaxation, and x-ray synchrotron techniques to the study of magnetic alloys, spin glasses and superconductors and he also uses similar techniques in the study of materials of biological, chemical and engineering importance. Key publications include:

International Activities

Bob has played a significant role in international science programmes: between 1994 and 2002 he was founder member, secretary, Vice-Chairman and Chairman of the European Neutron Scattering Association (ENSA), and from 2002 to 2005 and 2008 to 2011 he was President of the International Society for Muon Spectroscopy (ISMS-Europe, Russia and Africa) and for the same periods Vice-President of ISMS. He has been a member and/or chaired advisory committees and selection panels at a number of national and international science facilities and institutions, including the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in Dubna, Russia, the Institut Laue Langevin (ILL) in Grenoble, France, TRIUMF in Vancouver, Canada and J-PARC in Tokai, Japan. He has also been a key figure in establishing and promoting the scientific and technical cases for the ongoing £1bn European Spallation Source (ESS) project. He has been a member of the ESS Science Board and ESS Executive and a work group leader for the EU FP7 funded ESS Preparatory Phase Project. He has also been a member of the selection committee for three international science prizes (ie the Yamazaki, Kurti and Haelg prizes).

Thorium Energy

Bob is actively involved in the development of new particle accelerator technology for cancer therapy and for the generation of safe nuclear energy. He is a board member of the British Accelerator Science and Radiation Oncology Consortium (BASROC), a member of the CONFORM Project and a founder member of the Thorium Energy Amplifier Association (ThorEA). ThorEA is a learned society with free membership dedicated to the investigation and promotion of thorium as an alternative to uranium and plutonium nuclear fuel. ThorEA has focused upon thorium-fueled accelerator driven subcritical reactor (ADSR)technology or energy generation and legacy waste management, but also recognises the potential of thorium deployment in conventional (eg PWR), molten salt(MSR) and hybrid MSR/ADSR reactors. ThorEA produced a policy document "Towards an alternative nuclear future" at the request of the former Science Minister Lord Drayson.

Public Understanding of Science

Bob actively promotes the public understanding of science and has made a number of science movies with the animation companies Optic Verve and Puppetman Productions, including the EPSRC funded "The Pocket Professor", an introduction to quantum mechanics for 12-14 years olds, "The CONFORM Project" narrated by and starring Professor Lord Robert Winston, and the EU FP7 funded "Introducing The European Spallation Source" starring Professor Sir Patrick Stewart. He has made numerous broadcasts discussing energy policy and nuclear technology, for example the BBC's Politics Show, Radio 4's Material World and Costing the Earth.