Leading Light: Professor Katherine Morris

The next participant in our fascinating line up of Leading Lights is Katherine Morris, professor of environmental radiochemistry at The University of Manchester. As an environmental chemist, Katherine has been tackling the issues surrounding how radioactive contaminants behave in different environments, both in nature and engineered settings. Katherine and her team used Diamond’s B18 beamline to study how radionuclides combine and interact with natural minerals and microbes in the earth. Her team has also made use of small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) to look the interactions of radionuclides with cement over long time periods. Both aspects of this research can be applied directly to the management of radioactive waste and containment, playing a major part in decommissioning projects and leading to direct societal benefits. Currently, Katherine is the Dalton Nuclear Institute theme lead for Nuclear Environment and Waste, the Director of the Radioactive Waste Management Research Support Office, and the Director of the NNUF RADER Facility.