| ' | |
|---|---|
| Born | 28 June 1959 Bath, England |
| Residence | Australia |
| Nationality | Dual Australian-English |
| Fields | Physicist |
| Institutions | University of Melbourne |
| Alma mater | ANU, University of Adelaide |
| Known for | X-ray Optics Lobster eye optics Near-field optics Synchrotron Physics |
Keith Alexander Nugent (born 28 June 1959) is an Australian physicist. He is currently Professor of Physics at the University of Melbourne, Australia specialising in X-ray optics and near-field optics. He was born in Bath, England. He received a first class honours degree from the University of Adelaide[1] and his postgraduate degree from ANU in Canberra.
In 1989 Professor Nugent in collaboration with Dr. Stephen Wilkins pioneered a form of X-ray optics known as lobster-eye optics. Using the capillary structure found in lobster eyes, Nugent and Wilkins were able to design telescopes with a 360 degree view of the sky[2]. This was initially planned to be used in a LOBSTER satellite which would, indeed, conduct 360 degree surveys of the sky[3], though never came to fruition[4]. NASA currently have plans to use the technology to view space objects and phenomena from the International Space Station[5].
In 2001 Nugent was made a Federation Fellow by the Australian Government. This position was renewed in 2006[6]. He also chairs the Sciences Advisory Board of IATIA, a company designed to commercialise some of his inventions. Nugent is also a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (FAA). He also has very close ties with the Australian Synchrotron as he sits on the Australian Synchrotron Advisory Board.
Since 2005 Nugent has been director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coherent X-ray Science, based at the University of Melbourne, where he has driven the development of coherent X-ray diffraction methods for imaging biological structures[7]. His other research focusses on the complete recovery of phase from intensity and the applications of this to imaging[8]. This work is currently being used to monitor wear in car engines[9] and has potential for research into the treatment of cancer[10].
Nugent was recently appointed as the Director of the Australian Synchrotron. The previous director, Robert Lamb[11], had his secondment abruptly ended by the Advisory Board in late 2009[12] with no official reason announced. After over a year of having an Acting Director (George Borg), the Advisory Board chose one of its own members to take over as the Director.