Keith Nugent
Encyclopedia
Keith Alexander Nugent (born 28 June 1959) is an Australian physicist. He is currently Professor of Physics
at the University of Melbourne
, Australia
specialising in X-ray optics
and near-field optics
. He was born in Bath, England. He received a first class honours degree from the University of Adelaide
http://www.business.vic.gov.au/BUSVIC/STANDARD/1001/PC_60664.html and his postgraduate degree from ANU
in Canberra
.
In 1989 Professor Nugent in collaboration with Dr. Stephen Wilkins pioneered a form of X-ray optics known as lobster-eye optics. Using the capillary structure found in lobster eyes, Nugent and Wilkins were able to design telescopes with a 360 degree view of the skyhttp://vic.aip.org.au/program/1997/november.html. This was initially planned to be used in a LOBSTER satellite which would, indeed, conduct 360 degree surveys of the skyhttp://vic.aip.org.au/program/1997/november.html, though never came to fruitionhttp://vic.aip.org.au/program/1997/november.html. NASA currently have plans to use the technology to view space objects and phenomena from the International Space Stationhttp://www.dpc.vic.gov.au/domino/Web_Notes/newmedia.nsf/b0222c68d27626e2ca256c8c001a3d2d/9f8eee1787665b62ca256ef4008165f6!OpenDocument.
In 2001 Nugent was made a Federation Fellow
by the Australian Government. This position was renewed in 2006http://www.synchrotron.vic.gov.au/content.asp?Document_ID=4524. He also chairs the Sciences Advisory Board of IATIA, a company designed to commercialise some of his inventions. Nugent is also a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science
(FAA). He also has very close ties with the Australian Synchrotron
as he sits on the Australian Synchrotron Advisory Board.
Since 2005 Nugent has been director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coherent X-ray Science, based at the University of Melbourne
, where he has driven the development of coherent X-ray diffraction methods for imaging biological structureshttp://www.coecxs.org/. His other research focusses on the complete recovery of phase from intensity and the applications of this to imaginghttp://www.chemistry.unimelb.edu.au/staff/quiney/www/synchnet/people/nugent.php. This work is currently being used to monitor wear in car engineshttp://www.dpc.vic.gov.au/domino/Web_Notes/newmedia.nsf/b0222c68d27626e2ca256c8c001a3d2d/9f8eee1787665b62ca256ef4008165f6!OpenDocument and has potential for research into the treatment of cancerhttp://www.business.vic.gov.au/BUSVIC/STANDARD/1001/PC_60664.html.
Nugent was recently appointed as the Director of the Australian Synchrotron
. The previous director, Robert Lambhttp://www.chemistry.unimelb.edu.au/people/lamb.html, had his secondment abruptly ended by the Advisory Board in late 2009http://www.synchrotron.org.au/index.php/news/news/media-releases/384-australian-synchrotron-change with no official reason announced. After over a year of having an Acting Director (George Borg), the Advisory Board chose one of its own members to take over as the Director.
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
at the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
specialising in X-ray optics
X-ray optics
X-ray optics is the branch of optics which manipulates X-rays instead of visible light. While lenses for visible light are made of transparent materials that can have a refractive index substantially larger than 1, for X-rays the index of refraction is slightly smaller than unity. The principal...
and near-field optics
Near-field optics
Near-field optics is that branch of optics that considers configurations that depend on the passage of light to, from, through, or near an element with subwavelength features and the coupling of that light to a second element located a subwavelength distance from the first. The barrier of spatial...
. He was born in Bath, England. He received a first class honours degree from the University of Adelaide
University of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide is a public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia...
http://www.business.vic.gov.au/BUSVIC/STANDARD/1001/PC_60664.html and his postgraduate degree from ANU
Australian National University
The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
.
In 1989 Professor Nugent in collaboration with Dr. Stephen Wilkins pioneered a form of X-ray optics known as lobster-eye optics. Using the capillary structure found in lobster eyes, Nugent and Wilkins were able to design telescopes with a 360 degree view of the skyhttp://vic.aip.org.au/program/1997/november.html. This was initially planned to be used in a LOBSTER satellite which would, indeed, conduct 360 degree surveys of the skyhttp://vic.aip.org.au/program/1997/november.html, though never came to fruitionhttp://vic.aip.org.au/program/1997/november.html. NASA currently have plans to use the technology to view space objects and phenomena from the International Space Stationhttp://www.dpc.vic.gov.au/domino/Web_Notes/newmedia.nsf/b0222c68d27626e2ca256c8c001a3d2d/9f8eee1787665b62ca256ef4008165f6!OpenDocument.
In 2001 Nugent was made a Federation Fellow
Federation Fellowship
Federation Fellowships are Australian professorial research fellowships that were instigated by the Australian Government as part of their Backing Australia's Ability initiative. They were initially designed to compete with prestigious overseas grants in an attempt to lure back high profile...
by the Australian Government. This position was renewed in 2006http://www.synchrotron.vic.gov.au/content.asp?Document_ID=4524. He also chairs the Sciences Advisory Board of IATIA, a company designed to commercialise some of his inventions. Nugent is also a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science
Australian Academy of Science
The Australian Academy of Science was founded in 1954 by a group of distinguished Australians, including Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London. The first president was Sir Mark Oliphant. The Academy is modelled after the Royal Society and operates under a Royal Charter; as such it is...
(FAA). He also has very close ties with the Australian Synchrotron
Australian Synchrotron
The Australian Synchrotron is a 3 GeV synchrotron radiation facility built in Melbourne, Victoria and opened on 31 July 2007.The circular building was designed by Architectus in conjunction with Thiess, while the lattice design was performed substantially by Professor John Boldeman.The Synchrotron...
as he sits on the Australian Synchrotron Advisory Board.
Since 2005 Nugent has been director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coherent X-ray Science, based at the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
, where he has driven the development of coherent X-ray diffraction methods for imaging biological structureshttp://www.coecxs.org/. His other research focusses on the complete recovery of phase from intensity and the applications of this to imaginghttp://www.chemistry.unimelb.edu.au/staff/quiney/www/synchnet/people/nugent.php. This work is currently being used to monitor wear in car engineshttp://www.dpc.vic.gov.au/domino/Web_Notes/newmedia.nsf/b0222c68d27626e2ca256c8c001a3d2d/9f8eee1787665b62ca256ef4008165f6!OpenDocument and has potential for research into the treatment of cancerhttp://www.business.vic.gov.au/BUSVIC/STANDARD/1001/PC_60664.html.
Nugent was recently appointed as the Director of the Australian Synchrotron
Australian Synchrotron
The Australian Synchrotron is a 3 GeV synchrotron radiation facility built in Melbourne, Victoria and opened on 31 July 2007.The circular building was designed by Architectus in conjunction with Thiess, while the lattice design was performed substantially by Professor John Boldeman.The Synchrotron...
. The previous director, Robert Lambhttp://www.chemistry.unimelb.edu.au/people/lamb.html, had his secondment abruptly ended by the Advisory Board in late 2009http://www.synchrotron.org.au/index.php/news/news/media-releases/384-australian-synchrotron-change with no official reason announced. After over a year of having an Acting Director (George Borg), the Advisory Board chose one of its own members to take over as the Director.
Academic achievements, awards and honors
- Two R&D100 Awards (1988 and 2002)http://www.chemistry.unimelb.edu.au/staff/quiney/www/synchnet/people/nugent.php.
- The Boas Medal of the Australian Institute of Physics
- The Edgeworth-David Medal of the Royal Society of New South WalesRoyal Society of New South WalesThe Royal Society of New South Wales is a learned society based in Sydney, Australia. It was established as the Philosophical Society of Australasia on 27 June 1821...
- The Pawsey MedalPawsey MedalThe Pawsey Medal is awarded every year by the Australian Academy of Science to recognize outstanding research by Australian scientists under 40 years of age in the field of physics.This medal commemorates the work of the late Joseph L. Pawsey, FAA....
of the Australian Academy of ScienceAustralian Academy of ScienceThe Australian Academy of Science was founded in 1954 by a group of distinguished Australians, including Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London. The first president was Sir Mark Oliphant. The Academy is modelled after the Royal Society and operates under a Royal Charter; as such it is...
, of which he was elected a FellowFellowA fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
in 2000 - A 2003 Centenary MedalCentenary MedalThe Centenary Medal is an award created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the Centenary of Federation of Australia and to honour people who have made a contribution to Australian society or government...
by the Federal Government for outstanding contributions to science - 2004 Victoria Prize for pioneering work with quantitative phase imaginghttp://www.business.vic.gov.au/BUSVIC/STANDARD/1001/PC_60664.html.
- Member of the National Science Advisory Committee of the Australian SynchrotronSynchrotronA synchrotron is a particular type of cyclic particle accelerator in which the magnetic field and the electric field are carefully synchronised with the travelling particle beam. The proton synchrotron was originally conceived by Sir Marcus Oliphant...
- Member of the Expert Advisory Committee for Physics, Chemistry and Geosciences.