Overview of thesis
The Montebello Islands of Western Australia was the site of three nuclear weapon tests conducted by the UK government in 1952 and 1956. The tests introduced radioactive contamination into the marine environment which was investigated minimally in the decades that followed. My PhD project aims to establish the first spatial delineation of anthropogenic radionuclides (90Sr, 137Cs, 238,239,240,241Pu and 241Am) present in the marine sediments of the region and to investigate the migration and transport of these radionuclides over time through the seabed. This will be accomplished with the use of alpha spectrometry, gamma spectrometry, accelerator mass spectrometry and grain size and composition analysis among other techniques.
This project is a collaboration between ECU, the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) and the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA).
Project link: The radiological impact of historical nuclear testing on the marine environment of the Montebello Islands, Western Australia
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Advanced Science with Honours (majoring in Chemistry), University of Queensland (2013-2017)
- DAN Oxygen Provider (2021-present)
Research
Research Interests
- Environmental radiochemistry
- Radioecology and dosimetry
- Analytical Chemistry
- Alpha and gamma spectrometry systems
- Radiation safety
Past Research Employment History
- 2020 - 2024: Technician, Environmental Radiochemistry Laboratory, Edith Cowan University.
- 2018 - 2019: Graduate Environmental Consultant, Environmental Earth Sciences Brisbane.
Past Teaching
- 2020 - 2023: Demonstrating in SCC1123 ‘Chemistry for the Life Sciences’ and SCC1126 ‘Introduction to Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry’, Edith Cowan University.
Scholarships and Awards
- 2022 – South Pacific Environmental Radioactivity Association (SPERA) Best Student presentation
- 2022 – SPERA Best Oral presentation in Radioecology
- 2022 – Royal Society of Western Australia (RSWA) John Glover Research Support Grant
- 2022 – RSWA 2022 Symposium Poster award
- 2022 – SPERA Malcolm Cooper Scholarship
- 2021 – ECU School of Science Postgraduate Symposium Best PhD Presentation award
- 2021 – RSWA 2021 Symposium Poster award
- 2019 – Australian Government RTP Scholarship
- 2018 – SPERA Best Student presentation
Supervisors
- Professor Pere Masque (ECU)
- Dr Mathew Johansen (ANSTO)
- Professor Paul Lavery (ECU)
Contact
Madison Williams-Hoffman
PhD Student
Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research
School of Science