Plastic Scintillators: Chemistry and Applications

Dr. Matthieu Hamel is a scientist from the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA). He defended a Ph.D. thesis in 2005 on phosphoro-sulfurated platinum complexes as anti-tumor drugs. His first experience in the world of plastic scintillators was in 2006 with a postdoctoral position at the CEA. In 2008, he moved back to bioorganic chemistry with the synthesis of antimalarial compounds at the University of Montpellier, France. In late 2009, he was granted a permanent position at the CEA as a materials chemist for the preparation and the characterization of fluorescent polymers for the detection of threats, mostly for nuclear and radiological risks. His expertise lies in the design, characterization and application of plastic scintillators. To date, he has coordinated two French National Research Agency (ANR) projects and several security projects supported by the French Ministry of Defense.