Dr Benjamin Jenkins
Ben is a Postdoctoral Research Assistant in Atom Probe of Zirconium Alloys for Fission Reactors. As a member of the MIDAS project, the primary focus of Ben's work is to use Atom Probe Tomography to help develop a mechanistic understanding of irradiation damage in Zr alloys. These alloys are used in fuel assemblies in nuclear fission reactors; it is hoped that by improving the alloys the reactors will be operated more efficiently and safely. Working with neutron-irradiated alloys means that Ben often uses the facilities of the Materials Research Facility at Culham to prepare samples.
Ben’s other research interests include developing novel data analysis methods. These methods can improve the accuracy of quantitative measurements that are made using the large amounts of data that are collected during Atom Probe Tomography experiments. Ben has also developed approaches for increasing the reliability and reproducibility of different analyses that are applied to Atom Probe datasets.
Ben is also interested in characterising other materials that are used as structural components in the nuclear industry, such as reactor pressure vessel and T91 steels. Ben also has experience of implementing complementary characterisation techniques, such as transmission Kikuchi diffraction, to investigate internal interfaces in materials (e.g. grain boundaries) in a more holistic manner.
