Vanessa Peterson

Last updated

Vanessa K. Peterson
EducationUniversity of Technology, Sydney
OccupationSenior research scientist
Known forNuclear physics
TitleProfessor
Scientific career
Institutions

Vanessa K. Peterson is a Neutron Instrument Scientist, at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO). She established an independent research program at ANSTO which specialised on improving understanding of energy systems and how they work. [1] She manages the Echidna program, a high-resolution powder diffractometer, as well as Wombat - a high-intensity powder diffractometer. Peterson's expertise includes synchtron and laboratory x-ray techniques, as well as neutron powder diffraction, as well as single crystal x-ray diffraction. [2]

Contents

Career

In 1999, Peterson obtained a first class honors degree in chemistry at the University of Technology in Sydney (UTS), followed in 2004 by a PhD at UTS and ANSTO, on "Diffraction investigations of cement clinker and tricalcium silicate using Rietveld analysis". [3] She worked as an assistant researcher at UTS before moving, in 2004, to the University of Maryland, Baltimore – working at the National Institute of Standards and Technology Center for Neutron Research. In 2006, she moved back to Australia, and worked at the University of Wollongong, then moving to Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering as the Senior Principal Research and Neutron Instrument Scientist. [4]

Peterson has expertise in materials function and the characterisation of functional materials by using atomic-scale structure and dynamics to material properties. [5] Peterson has worked on emissions reduction technology, and low emissions cement improvements. She leads a group researching energy technologies, including lithium batteries, [6] and fuel cells for cars which use petrol alternatives. [7]

Science communication

Peterson has been involved in a range of science communication across her career, including through ANSTO's Discovery Centre, and National Science Week. [8] She has commented on the chemistry of x-ray structural effects and thermal properties. [9]

Select publications

Some of Peterson's select publications can be found at Google Scholar. She has over 8000 citations, and an H-index of 52. [10] [11] Peterson publishes on a wide range of topics, including the physics or materials function, atomic scale structure, and low emissions technology such as lithium batteries. [4]

Awards

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crystallography</span> Scientific study of crystal structures

Crystallography is the experimental science of determining the arrangement of atoms in crystalline solids. Crystallography is a fundamental subject in the fields of materials science and solid-state physics. The word crystallography is derived from the Ancient Greek word κρύσταλλος, with its meaning extending to all solids with some degree of transparency, and γράφειν. In July 2012, the United Nations recognised the importance of the science of crystallography by proclaiming that 2014 would be the International Year of Crystallography.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">X-ray crystallography</span> Technique used for determining crystal structures and identifying mineral compounds

X-ray crystallography is the experimental science determining the atomic and molecular structure of a crystal, in which the crystalline structure causes a beam of incident X-rays to diffract into many specific directions. By measuring the angles and intensities of these diffracted beams, a crystallographer can produce a three-dimensional picture of the density of electrons within the crystal. From this electron density, the mean positions of the atoms in the crystal can be determined, as well as their chemical bonds, their crystallographic disorder, and various other information.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neutron diffraction</span> Technique to investigate atomic structures using neutron scattering

Neutron diffraction or elastic neutron scattering is the application of neutron scattering to the determination of the atomic and/or magnetic structure of a material. A sample to be examined is placed in a beam of thermal or cold neutrons to obtain a diffraction pattern that provides information of the structure of the material. The technique is similar to X-ray diffraction but due to their different scattering properties, neutrons and X-rays provide complementary information: X-Rays are suited for superficial analysis, strong x-rays from synchrotron radiation are suited for shallow depths or thin specimens, while neutrons having high penetration depth are suited for bulk samples.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Flux Australian Reactor</span>

The High Flux Australian Reactor (HIFAR) was Australia's first nuclear reactor. It was built at the Australian Atomic Energy Commission Research Establishment at Lucas Heights, Sydney. The reactor was in operation between 1958 and 2007, when it was superseded by the Open-pool Australian lightwater reactor, also in Lucas Heights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Open-pool Australian lightwater reactor</span> Research nuclear reactor in Australia

The Open-pool Australian lightwater reactor (OPAL) is a 20 megawatt (MW) swimming pool nuclear research reactor. Officially opened in April 2007, it replaced the High Flux Australian Reactor as Australia's only nuclear reactor, and is located at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) Research Establishment in Lucas Heights, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney. Both OPAL and its predecessor have been commonly known simply as the Lucas Heights reactor.

A diffractometer is a measuring instrument for analyzing the structure of a material from the scattering pattern produced when a beam of radiation or particles interacts with it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Powder diffraction</span>

Powder diffraction is a scientific technique using X-ray, neutron, or electron diffraction on powder or microcrystalline samples for structural characterization of materials. An instrument dedicated to performing such powder measurements is called a powder diffractometer.

The Australian Nuclear Science & Technology Organisation (ANSTO) is Australia's national nuclear organisation and the centre of Australian nuclear expertise. It is a statutory body of the Australian government formed in 1987 to replace the Australian Atomic Energy Commission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ISIS Neutron and Muon Source</span> English physics research facility

The ISIS Neutron and Muon Source is a pulsed neutron and muon source, established 1984 at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory of the Science and Technology Facilities Council, on the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom. It uses the techniques of muon spectroscopy and neutron scattering to probe the structure and dynamics of condensed matter on a microscopic scale ranging from the subatomic to the macromolecular.

Hugo M. Rietveld was a Dutch crystallographer who is famous for his publication on the full profile refinement method in powder diffraction, which became later known as the Rietveld refinement method. The method is used for the characterisation of crystalline materials from X-ray powder diffraction data. The Rietveld refinement uses a least squares approach to refine a theoretical line profile until it matches the measured profile. The introduction of this technique which used the full profile instead of individual reflections was a significant step forward in the diffraction analysis of powder samples.

Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation's Australian Synchrotron is a 3 GeV national synchrotron radiation facility located in Clayton, in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, which opened in 2007.

George Edward Bacon MA ScD (Cantab.) PhD (London) FInstP was a British nuclear physicist, specializing in neutron diffraction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miniflex</span> X-ray diffraction analytical measuring instrument

Miniflex is an X-ray diffraction (XRD) analytical measuring instrument produced by Rigaku. The current instrument is the fourth in a series introduced in 1973.

The Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering (ACNS), formerly the Bragg Institute, is a landmark neutron and X-ray scattering facility in Australia. It is located at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation's (ANSTO) Lucas Heights site, 40 km south-west of Sydney, in New South Wales, Australia.

Ultrafast X-rays or ultrashort X-ray pulses are femtosecond x-ray pulses with wavelengths occurring at interatomic distances. This beam uses the X-ray's inherent abilities to interact at the level of atomic nuclei and core electrons. This ability combined with the shorter pulses at 30 femtosecond could capture the change in position of atoms, or molecules during phase transitions, chemical reactions, and other transient processes in physics, chemistry, and biology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lithium imide</span> Chemical compound

Lithium imide is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula Li2NH. This white solid can be formed by a reaction between lithium amide and lithium hydride.

Hilger & Watts was a well-known British manufacturing company that made theodolites and scientific instruments.

Klaus-Dieter Liss, German: Liß, is a German-Australian physicist working in the field of experimental X-ray and neutron scattering and their applications. Liss research is on in-situ and real-time experiments with synchrotron and neutron radiation for the characterization of thermo-mechanical processes in metals; the investigation of phase transformations; the evolution of microstructures; and the kinetics of defects. His experimental achievements are the development of the Materials oscilloscope and the realization of the X-ray photon storage.

Anna Paradowska is an Australian engineer who is Professor in Advanced Structure Materials at the Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation.

Helen Maynard-Casely is an instrument scientist at the Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) in Sydney, Australia. She has won numerous prizes and is an advocate for the participation of women in STEM.

References

  1. ↑ "Scientist is leading the charge". St George & Sutherland Shire Leader. 18 March 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  2. ↑ "Dr Vanessa Peterson". Research Data Australia. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  3. 1 2 "Professor Vanessa Peterson". ANSTO. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Protocols and Video Articles Authored by Vanessa K. Peterson". www.jove.com. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  5. ↑ Henkel, Alexandra. "Seminar Series 2022 : Advanced Characterization of Energy Systems: Understanding Function". SafeREnergy. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  6. ↑ "Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation... | Protocols and Video Articles". www.jove.com. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  7. ↑ "Dr Vanessa Peterson". AIPS. 23 August 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  8. ↑ Sansom2018-01-17T13:43:00+00:00, Clare. "From cement to batteries with help from a wombat". Chemistry World. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  9. ↑ Wilde2021-03-15T14:10:00+00:00, Ellis. "Cadmium cyanide surprises chemists by shrinking when irradiated with x-rays". Chemistry World. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  10. ↑ "Vanessa Peterson". scholar.google.com.au. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  11. ↑ "Research Gate".
  12. ↑ Peterson, Vanessa K.; Liu, Yun; Brown, Craig M.; Kepert, Cameron J. (1 December 2006). "Neutron Powder Diffraction Study of D 2 Sorption in Cu 3 (1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylate) 2". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 128 (49): 15578–15579. doi:10.1021/ja0660857. ISSN   0002-7863. PMID   17147353.
  13. ↑ Wu, Hui; Simmons, Jason M.; Liu, Yun; Brown, Craig M.; Wang, Xi-Sen; Ma, Shengqian; Peterson, Vanessa K.; Southon, Peter D.; Kepert, Cameron J.; Zhou, Hong-Cai; Yildirim, Taner (31 March 2010). "Metal-Organic Frameworks with Exceptionally High Methane Uptake: Where and How is Methane Stored?". Chemistry - A European Journal. 16 (17): 5205–5214. doi:10.1002/chem.200902719. PMID   20358553.
  14. ↑ Sharma, Neeraj; Guo, Xianwei; Du, Guodong; Guo, Zaiping; Wang, Jiazhou; Wang, Zhaoxiang; Peterson, Vanessa K. (9 May 2012). "Direct Evidence of Concurrent Solid-Solution and Two-Phase Reactions and the Nonequilibrium Structural Evolution of LiFePO 4". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 134 (18): 7867–7873. doi:10.1021/ja301187u. ISSN   0002-7863. PMID   22482702.
  15. ↑ "SCANZ | Society of Crystallographers in Australia and New Zealand". scanz.iucr.org. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  16. ↑ "Australian scientists' leading research recognised with Academy awards | Australian Academy of Science". www.science.org.au. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  17. ↑ ""Academy awards" of Australian science announced". cosmosmagazine.com. 10 March 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
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