Tony is the Senior Technical Specialist responsible for the NNUF RADER laboratories (National Nuclear User Facility Radioactive Waste Disposal and Environmental Remediation).

Key skills

• Handling, purifying and recycling of aqueous radiochemicals for laboratory use
• Radiological risk assessment, evaluation and compliance management
• Chemical separations using ion-exchange resin
• Instrumental analysis
  • Zeta potential and particle sizing by dynamic light scattering
  • Particle size and concentration by nanoparticle tracking analysis
  • Liquid scintillation counting
  • Low background gamma counting
  • Autoradiography of natural radioactive samples
  • Alpha spectroscopy
  • Solid material surface area by BET analysis
  • Fourier Transform Infra-Red (ATR)
  • Non-standard ion selective electrodes (K⁺, Ca²⁺, etc.)
  • Trace nutrient analysis with segmented or continuous flow analysers
• Chemical speciation modelling of natural aqueous systems
• Equilibrium dialysis
• Diffusive gradients in thin films

Research background

After completing a PhD in sediment geochemistry at Lancaster University (2008), Tony has worked on several postdoctoral projects at The Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, The School of Chemistry (here at Manchester) and the University of Leeds, before joining the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. Previous work had covered many diverse themes, including:

• The efficiency of extraction of rare earth elements from ion-adsorption soils using dissolved inorganic salts as extractants
• Dissolved phosphate measurement at nano molar level in support of collaborative projects
• Measurement and modelling of the effect of anthropogenic atmospheric acids on the release of phosphate from mineral dust in the atmosphere
• Modelling the effects of climate change driven ocean acidification on the chemical speciation of metal in the oceans
• Mobility of metal mine wastes
• Investigating the effect of Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) conditions on radionuclide binding to natural dissolved organic matter
• Testing chemical speciation models for brackish and saltwaters
• Developing predictive capabilities for biological responses to water chemistry
• Investigating micro-scale processes in sediments using gel imaging (DGT and laser ablation) and reactive transport modelling

Member and Chartered Chemist of the Royal Society of Chemistry (MRSC, CChem)

Member of The Society for Radiological Protection (MSRP)

Consultancy and external projects

2022 - DEFRA. Cs contamination of concrete surfaces

2023 - UK NNL. Screening of Future Low Carbon Cement Powders for Nuclear Waste Disposal

2024/5 - BET surface area analysis for CEGeochem and Concrete4Change