Director, EnviroRAD Ltd, Stirling, Scotland

In the process of setting up an environmental consultancy, specialising in environmental radioactivity, radiation measurements, biogeochemical behaviour of radionuclides, characterisation of radioactively contaminated land, radiological risk assessments, radioactive waste disposal, radiochemistry and laboratory quality assurance, BPEO and BPM studies.

Principal Nuclear Environmental Consultant, WorleyParsons (Infrastructure & Environment), Stirling

Consultancy services to Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd: Joe provided consultancy services covering the local contamination at Dounreay nuclear site. The contamination is mainly in the form of discrete radioactive fuel fragments from past accidental discharges. He reported on the nature, occurrence and possible origin of contaminated plastic items found on local beaches; on the diffusive loss of radionuclides from buried radioactive particles and on the interpretation of high resolution gamma spectra taken from inside the offshore diffusion chamber which is thought to be the source for particle contamination of offshore sediments and local beaches. In support of the offshore particle retrieval programme, templates were designed and provided for the reporting of clean-up progress to local and national stakeholders.

Feasibility study into rapid in-situ segregation of radiologically clean material from LLW: with our Alliance partner MACTEC Development Corporation, it was demonstrated that excavated material could be processed at a fast rate through an automated conveyor-based soil sorting system, with the contaminating nuclides being detected, identified and quantified in real time. Using a unique reversing conveyor, contaminated material could be segregated from material below user-selected activity levels with high confidence, high volume throughput, leading to massive waste disposal savings.

Disposal of NORM wastes and radon surveys: WorleyParsons’ nuclear environmental team were subcontracted to undertake a review of legislation and guidance related to NORM (naturally occurring radioactive material) waste disposal, particularly the re-injection offshore of NORM wastes. The review carried out by Joe focused on developed countries with established regulatory control of radioactive waste. In collaboration with our Spanish office, Radon surveys were also carried out on one oil platform which showed no evidence of radon build-up near known Ra sources at time of sampling. Joe also provided the client with a retrospective radiological risk assessment covering work carried out with NORM-contaminated equipment and contributed to a training programme for workers covering radioactivity, radiological protection and legislation.

Surveys for NORM and depleted uranium in Iraq: Joe supported WorleyParsons Dubai office in an environmental baseline survey of gas-oil separating plants in Iraq, providing radiation doserate, surface contamination and radiological protection (EPD) services. He also provided the Health, Safety, Security and Environment Plan for the in-country baseline surveys.

Section manager, Land Remediation and particles Department, UKAEA Dounreay

As Particles Monitoring Project Manager, Environmental Programmes Department 2003 – 2006 and Section Manager (Particles) in the Land Remediation and Particles Department, 2006 – 2008, Joe had responsibility for carrying out an integrated programme of tasks under UKAEA's radioactive particles programme:

Delivered NDA targets under time and budget relating to improved onshore monitoring technology, innovative subsea monitoring technology and research into the physical, chemical and environmental behaviour of the particles.

Delivered series of reports and information to Regulators and to Dounreay Particles Advisory Group in support of their 3rd and 4th expert reports.

Developed clean-up strategy for environments contaminated by irradiated nuclear fuel fragments. Encouraged and monitored improvements by contractors in their onshore and offshore radiation monitoring methods.

Developed a team to provide a particles management strategy and contributed technical and management input to the Particles BPEO, represented UKAEA at workshops and public consultation meetings and served on the Options scoring panel.

Produced scope statements, schedules and costs for all aspects of the Particles programme, together with assumptions, exclusions, risks and mitigation actions. Provided a 20-year forward plan for Particles management required by the environmental regulator SEPA.

Provided key technical and strategic reports to regulators and expert groups on fuel fragments including a wide variety of reports on the extent of environmental contamination, the potential for radiation dose and hazard reduction mechanisms.

Set up and chaired the UKAEA Beach Monitoring Steering Group to explore the capabilities of particle-seeking technologies worldwide and to test rival systems on a purpose-built facility.

Wrote technical specifications for Tender documents, assessed and scored tender returns, managed the resulting offshore particle retrieval trials in consultation with a range of stakeholders – landowners, regulators, local harbour, Crown Estates, SNH.

Represented UKAEA and made regular presentations on progress of Particles Management Programme at a Scottish Government meeting, held bi-annually, which includes representatives from the SEPA, Highland Council, NDA, Health Protection Agency, Food Standards Agency, COMARE and the Dounreay Particles Advisory Group.

Business Development Manager, Harwell Scientifics Ltd, Oxfordshire

UKAEA Harwell – Joe coordinated multidisciplinary analytical services for the clean-up of a complex contaminated area; including provision of rapid screening methods and high-sensitivity isotopic and mass spectrometric methods.

Environment Agency – Joe was project and technical manager for the Agency's large independent environmental monitoring programme around nuclear sites. This comprised environmental sampling, in-situ gamma dose rate and beta contamination measurements, backed up by a demanding laboratory programme of analysis covering over 650 samples per year for 15 radionuclides to tight reporting timescales and low detection limits.

MoD – Joe provided consultancy services on the provision of sampling and analysis protocols in support of UK armed forces potentially facing radiological dispersion devices.

Environment Agency – Joe managed the independent monitoring programme of the public water supply, covering quarterly samples from 32 UK sites, including provision of pre-treated sample containers and QC/QA advice. He interpreted analytical results and gave invited lectures on radiological safety of the UK water supplies and emergency preparedness given new threat of deliberate contamination by terrorists.

Radiochemistry support to Projects – Joe and his team developed, validated and applied laboratory radioanalytical methods, enabling clients to have confidence in delivered data and to develop clean-up or dose reduction strategies.

Projects and Laboratory Manager, AEA Technology, Harwell, Oxfordshire

Development of radioanalytical methods and laboratory accreditation in support of a wide range of government and private customers - providing, for example, results for the first UK database on the quality of laboratory radionuclide measurements in foodstuffs, the performance of soil decontamination trials and levels of NORM in materials from alumina and oil/gas field processes. Achieved UKAS accreditation for the provision of Opinions and Interpretations covering radioanalytical results.

Euratom and IAEA Safeguards – manager of UK Safeguards programme, helping develop sampling and analysis protocols for the detection of clandestine nuclear weapons programmes, via both the U enrichment route and Pu production route. Results and reports comprised a major UK contribution to a strengthened international Safeguards regime.

Food Standards Agency - managed a wide-ranging programme of chemical and radiochemical analysis of bottled water, mineral waters, private waters and beers, providing ingestion dose assessments for the Agency and other clients.

Postgraduate research scientist, CASE Award Glasgow University and Institute of Oceanographic Sciences, Surrey

NERC – funded postgraduate research into the geochemical behaviour of uranium in estuarine, coastal shelf and deep sea sediments and sediment porewaters. A fission track analysis method for U in limited-volume pore waters was developed in support of radwaste disposal options and for geochemical research.

Nuclear Geochemistry. Application of particle track analysis methods to geochemical studies: calculation of sediment deposition rates using alpha track analysis and comparison with conventional excess 230Th dating technique; identification of hot particles in the environment. Application of alpha spectrometric analysis to uranium series disequilibrium studies and natural analogue work used in nuclear waste disposal assessments.