Science Team
Dr Hugo Doyle
Head of Empirical Validation
Hugo joined First Light in 2014 and runs the department whose mission is to validate our advanced target designs. His team has been responsible for building the capability to experimentally validate fusion in the laboratory, proving the First Light projectile fusion concept. This involved developing launchers to accelerate 1 cm scale projectiles to ~10 km/s to impact deuterium tritium filled targets and measuring the burst of neutrons emitted, in our laboratory in Oxfordshire.
Before First Light, Hugo finished his PhD at Imperial College in laboratory astrophysics. After a secondment to AWE plc., he moved to Oxford University for two years as a Research Associate. This work involved using some of the largest lasers in the world to reproduce conditions similar to those found at the centre of a star and developing diagnostics to measure them. This provided experience running multi-national, multi-disciplinary research experiments at facilities around the world on a strict budget and time frame.
He has technical expertise with high energy density plasma physics, a wide range of diagnostic techniques and driver platforms as well as the various resource and risk management methods needed for large scale experiments.
Dr Nathan Joiner
Head of Computational Physics
Nathan joined First Light Fusion in 2017 to provide strategic leadership to the development of First Light's computational modelling capabilities. Nathan provides oversight and guidance to the activities of twenty computational and theoretical physicists, data scientists, and software engineers.
Prior to joining First Light, he garnered seventeen years technical experience covering a wide range of computational science and engineering applications. During his PhD in Plasma Physics from Imperial College London, he specialised in theoretical and numerical studies of Tokamak plasma instabilities and turbulence. This research direction was also pursued for several years as a postdoctoral fellow.
Nathan then spent seven years as an aerospace engineering consultant, specialising in the modelling and simulation of hypersonic gas dynamics and thermal protection systems. He has contributed to the design of aerothermal systems used in planetary probes, reusable spacecraft, and rocket motors. Nathan was a customer interface in projects for ESA, Airbus, Lockheed-Martin UK, Thales, and AWE.
Dr Rafel Bordas
Head of Data-Driven Engineering
Rafel joined First Light Fusion in 2021 to establish the Data Science function. He now heads the Data-Driven Engineering department with a team that develops accurate models combining numerical simulation with experimental data, using machine learning methods to support our target and amplifier design process.
Rafel has a background in applied mathematics and 20 years of experience working with computational models and translating their results into real world insight. Rafel holds a B.Sc. in Mathematics and Computing from the University of Warwick, an M.Sc. in Applied Mathematics and D.Phil. (PhD) in Computer Science from the University of Oxford. During his D.Phil. he developed simulation tools to investigate cardiac electrophysiology function. He subsequently spent four and a half years as a post-doctoral researcher investigating clinical lung airways applications through a combined data analysis, imaging and simulation approach.
Rafel transitioned from academia to industry in early 2016 when he joined Emerson Automation Solutions, a Fortune 500 company. At Emerson he became the lead developer on the statistical core of an industrial strength data assimilation and uncertainty analysis software package specialised for use in sub-surface applications.
Dr Guy Burdiak
Principal Scientist
Guy is an experimental plasma physicist with 18 years experience in pulsed power-driven high energy density physics experiments. He completed his PhD and a Research Associate position on the MAGPIE pulsed power facility at Imperial College London, investigating the dynamics of wire array and liner Z-pinches, plasma flow switches and strong shocks in radiative, magnetised plasmas.
Guy joined First Light Fusion in 2016. He leads experimental campaigns on two-stage light gas guns and multi-MA pulsed power facilities, where he is also a qualified shot director. He has designed power-feeds and dielectric transitions for many pulsed power devices and has diagnostic commissioning and fielding expertise in interferometry, OTS, velocimetry, x-ray imaging, radiography and spectroscopy, z-pinch electrical measurements and neutron detection. Guy is leading First Light’s next experimental campaign on Sandia’s Z machine, via the Z Fundamental Science Program.
Dr Jonathan Skidmore
Principal Scientist
Jon is an experienced experimentalist and Principal Investigator having worked on numerous High Energy Density Facilities. He completed his PhD in Plasma Physics on the MAGPIE and MACH generators at Imperial College London before moving to AWE. At AWE he performed the role of PI/RI on the NIF, OMEGA and Orion laser facilities on work related to the stockpile stewardship program and multiple academic access campaigns.
Jon is programme lead for FLF FLARE IFE concept and also lead of First Light's collaborations and engagements with National Laboratories and acted as internal PI for FLF’s recent Z machine campaigns through the Z fundamental science programme.
At First Light he has led numerous experimental campaigns as PI on all experimental facilities, including M3, CEPAGE and the both two-stage light gas guns where he is also a qualified shot director.
He has designed and commissioned multiple optical and x-ray diagnostics on these facilities including line and 2D imaging VISAR, interferometry, pyrometry, polarimetry, soft x-ray imagers and spectrometers.