Further information
Schrödinger Lecture
Dr Sue Ion presents “The world’s nuclear future: built on material success” the 22nd Schrödinger Lecture.
Erwin Schrödinger 1887–1961: The Erwin Schrödinger Lecture is an annual event named after the noted Austrian scientist. Schrödinger was a theoretical physicist and a significant contributor to the wave theory of matter, a form of quantum physics. He mathematically devised an equation of wave mechanics that bears his name. He was a co-recipient of the 1933 Nobel Prize for physics. Today he is popularly known for the paradox of Schrödinger’s Cat.
Attendance at this lecture is with registration in advance. Please email Laura Brown, l.brown@imperial.ac.uk to register.
Abstract: In our energy hungry world of the 21st century, the future of electricity generation must meet the twin challenges of security of supply and reduced carbon emissions. The expectations for nuclear power programmes to play a part in delivering success on both counts grow ever higher. The nuclear industry is poised on a renaissance likely to dwarf the early heady days of the 1960’s and early 1970’s. Global supply chain and project management challenges abound but now just as then, the science and engineering of materials will be key to the successful deployment and operation of a new generation of reactor systems and their associated fuel cycles. Understanding and predicting materials performance will be key to achieving life extension of existing assets and underpinning waste disposal options, as well as giving confidence to the designers, their financial backers and governments across the globe, that the next generation of reactors will deliver their full potential.
Biography: Dr Ion is a member of the UK Council for Science and Technology. She was a member of the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council from 1994-2001. She has been a member of Council for EPSRC since 2005 and Chairs the Fusion Advisory Board for the Research Councils. She is a non-Executive Director on the Board of the Laboratory of the UK Health and Safety Executive and a member of the Science Engineering and Technology Committee of AWEML. Sue was Vice President and Member of Council of the Royal Academy of Engineering between 2002 and 2008 and remains an active member of its policy subcommittees. Dr Ion was BNFL’s Group Director of Technology 1992-2006. She was appointed Visiting Professor at Imperial College in 2006 and has been a member of the Board of Governors at the University of Manchester since 2004. She has held an Honorary Professorship at UCLan since the beginning of 2007. She represents the UK on a number of international review and oversight committees for the nuclear sector including the Euratom Science and Technology Committee and the US Department of Energy Nuclear Energy Advisory committee.
In the Chair: Sir Roy Anderson, Rector, Imperial College London
Vote of Thanks: Professor Maggie Dallman, Principal of the Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London.
A drinks reception will follow the lecture which will be sponsored by ‘Contemporary Physics’. Copies of the journal will be available.
