Based across the University, the Champions represent the many departments where nuclear-related research takes place, helping to connect expertise, foster collaboration and champion the breadth of our work.

Our Champions scheme supports participants’ professional development and has delivered a range of successful initiatives, including the Expert Insight Series, our annual Dalton Iftar, and our popular nuclear film screenings.

A recent highlight is the Dalton Early Career Researcher (ECR) Conference, led and delivered by the Champions. This annual event brings together researchers from across disciplines to share their work, build networks and develop new collaborations, while giving Champions valuable experience in leading and shaping a high-profile academic event.

Champions Lead – Dr Aneeqa Khan 

Dr Aneeqa Khan is a Lecturer in Nuclear Materials and Lead Dalton Champion. She provides strategic direction and coordination for the programme, enabling Champions to turn ideas into impactful initiatives.  

She is closely involved in the University’s fusion programmes, including the Fusion Power and Fusion Engineering CDTs, and contributes to a range of national and international boards, bringing valuable insight and leadership to the Champions scheme. 

Meet the Champions 

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  Farouq Alatassi

  Farouq is a PhD researcher in nuclear engineering with a background in theoretical physics. His work focuses on advanced materials and joining strategies for fusion applications, particularly thermo-electromagnetic coupling and microwave performance. He is a Dalton Champion, STEM Ambassador and Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA).

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  Ahmad Al-Fatly

  Ahmad is a PhD Researcher and part of the Fusion Power CDT. Ahmad’s project is in the investigation and characterisation of 3D printed tungsten for use in Fusion reactors. He completed his Meng in chemical engineering at the University of Bath and then worked as a safety consultant for 18 months before beginning his PhD journey.

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  Mirza Talha Baig

  Talha is a PhD researcher in Astronautics focusing on systems modelling and plasma propulsion sizing for a wide variety of missions. He has a wide range of experience in both nuclear fusion and astronautics where he has interned at Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics on the Wendelstein 7-x  and PPPL along with working as a Test Engineer at The National Satellite Test Facility RAL Space.

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  Joshua Bettles

  Joshua is a PhD Researcher in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering looking at developing robotics solutions to contamination monitoring at barrier on nuclear sites. His work focuses on development of novel planning and control techniques to enable generalised monitoring of objects, people and facilities. 

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  Charlotte Brown

  Charlotte has been a Dalton Champion since 2023 alongside her doctoral studies researching advanced tungsten manufacturing techniques for nuclear fusion applications. She plays an active role in organising Dalton events including the Dalton ECR Conference and is particularly passionate about delivering outreach events.

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  Micheal Crabbe

  Michael is an EngD Researcher within the Fusion Engineering CDT. His work focuses on the Minimak, a magnetically confined plasma device used for research, education and remote outreach demonstrations, including initiatives with the Dalton Nuclear Institute. He is a founding member of MancheSTAR, the UK's first student-led nuclear fusion society, and serves on the FuseNet Student Council, supporting international fusion outreach and student engagement.

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  Mohammad Ferdoosi

  Mohammad is a PhD candidate and a graduate Aerospace Engineer, currently undertaking research in passive natural circulation cooling. He has worked in multiple disciplines with great experience in R&D, System Integration and Commissioning fields. He is also involved in the University's Manchester Young Academic program and Ambassador work. 

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  Ahmadreza (Reza) Farrokhnia

  Reza is a Research Fellow in the Nuclear Graphite Research Group, as well as a Dalton Champion and STEM Ambassador, at The University of Manchester. His research focuses on finite element modelling and probabilistic assessment of graphite core behaviour in the UK AGR fleet for nuclear safety and structural integrity applications.

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  Magali Goncalves

  Magali is a Postdoctoral Research Associate working on mercury-free 6Li enrichment process, after completing her PhD at The Open University and TWI Ltd, developing decuring triggers for thermosets. She has experience with both proof-of-concept and final products, including tire prepregs, wood coatings, silica particles and epoxies, as well as outreach for DNI and NGFN, and an ambassador for PARSUK.

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  Liutauras Kiltinavicius

  Liutauras is a PhD researcher, part of the SATURN CDT cohort with a physics and mathematics background.  His project is investigating the interactions of nuclear waste, specifically plutonium, with external contaminants using first principles modelling.  The work is exploring thermodynamic, structural and spectroscopic properties to aid characterisation efforts of plutonium.

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  Ruairi McCabe

  Ruairi is a PhD candidate in mechanical engineering and part of the Fusion Power CDT, with a master's in materials science and an interest in metallurgy. His project is developing electron-beam welding for structural steels to be used in the breeder blanket of a fusion device, focusing on measuring residual stress.

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  Matthew Rogers

  Matthew is a Technical Specialist in the Nuclear Fuels Centre of Excellence. He has over a decade of experience in experimental nuclear materials research. His doctoral research examined the effects of manufacturing routes on the irradiation damage tolerance of pressure vessel steels. He is currently focused on technical challenges in coated particle fuel fabrication and in-situ electron microscopy experiments on alpha-active materials.

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  William (Jack) Rudrum

  Jack is part of the final cohort of GREEN CDT students and is part of the Tritium Fuel Cycle Research group. His PhD research is on Atomistic Modelling of Tritium in Liquid Lithium and its Interactions at the Interface with Structural Materials of a Breeder Blanket.

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  Jake Smith

  Jake is PhD researcher and part of the GREEN CDT, focusing on the decontamination of nuclear materials using hydrogels as a novel decontamination technology. Beyond research, Jake is a Dalton Champion, helping to organise events and engage with the wider nuclear research community.

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  Shaokai Tang

  Shaokai is a PhD Researcher in Materials Science and part of the Fusion CDT. His project develops tungsten-coated diamond for plasma-facing materials in fusion applications. He used to study ceramic matrix composite and polymer composite for extreme environments.

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  Matthew Warner

  Matthew is a PhD researcher on the Fusion CDT and an Outreach Lead for the Nuclear Institute’s Fusion Special Interest Group. His project focuses on developing an uncertainty quantification framework for crystal plasticity models to accelerate the qualification of materials for use in fusion reactors.