Officers
Chair
Dr. Alex Theodosiou, Nuclear Graphite Research Group, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Royce Hub Building, The University of Manchester
Dr Alex Theodosiou was elected Chairman of the British Carbon Group in 2025 and, as such, was also interim Chair of the European Carbon Association (ECA). Alex holds a PhD in chemistry from Cardiff University and has been a member of the RSC since 2006, receiving chartership in 2022. Alex now works at the Henry Royce Institute at the University of Manchester as a senior lecturer in nuclear graphite engineering. His research interests include ion implantation and behaviour within graphitic frameworks, development of thermal treatment methods for nuclear graphite decommissioning as well as characterisation of nuclear graphite candidate materials for Generation IV HTGR and molten salt reactor technologies.
Vice-Chair
Dr. Cristina Vallés, Lecturer in Polymer Nanocomposites, Henry Royce Institute & National Graphene Institute, Department of Materials / University of Manchester / Manchester / M13 9PL / United Kingdom (LinkedIn – Publications)
Dr Cristina Vallés is the acting Vice-Chair of the British Carbon Group from November 2025. Cristina holds a PhD in carbon nanomaterials from The University of Zaragoza (Spain) and has been a member of the Materials Research Society (MRS) and the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) since 2014 and 2015, respectively. Cristina now works at the Department of Materials and the Henry Royce Institute (University of Manchester) as a lecturer in polymer nanocomposites. Her research is focused on the development of multifunctional polymer nanocomposites based on carbon nanomaterials for applications in the aerospace sector, and nanostructured polymer fibres for wearable electronics.
Hon. Secretary
Samantha Wilkinson, (IoP Appointed Representative), National Nuclear Laboratory
Samantha Wilkinson has been involved with the British Carbon Group for several years and was elected Honorary Secretary in 2023. She manages the microstructure and graphite technology capability at the United Kingdom’s National Nuclear Laboratory. A Chartered Physicist with the Institute of Physics, she studied Physics at Durham University, and her technical work focuses on the characterisation of irradiated graphite.
Hon. Treasurer
Natalia Martsinovich, Department of Chemistry, University of Sheffield
Digital Engagement Officer
Mohammadhossein Saberian, National Graphene Institute, Henry Royce Institute, The University of Manchester
Mohammadhossein Saberian is the Digital Engagement Officer of the British Carbon Group. He is a PhD candidate in Materials Science at the University of Manchester, where his research focuses on developing sustainable graphitising precursors from biomass-derived feedstocks as alternatives to conventional pitch materials. His research interests include carbonisation mechanisms, structure–property relationships in carbon materials, and sustainable approaches to advanced carbon production.
Normal Committee Members
Dr Geoff Fowler [former chair], Senior Research Fellow and the Laboratory Manager for the Environmental and Water Resources Engineering section.
Dr Geoff Fowler is a Senior Research Fellow and Laboratory Manager in the Environmental and Water Resources Engineering section. He completed his PhD at Imperial College London in 1993 on the thermal conversion of contaminated soils into carbonaceous adsorbents. A Chartered Chemist and Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry, Geoff is an expert in thermal and microwave pyrolysis, carbonisation, and gasification of carbon-based waste materials. He served as Chair of the British Carbon Group, leading the organising committee for the World Carbon Conference “Carbon’22”, and continues to contribute actively to carbon materials research and professional societies.
Dr. Peter C. Minshall, Visiting Fellow, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Manchester.
Dr Peter Minshall has served on the Committee of the British Carbon Group since the mid-1990s, much of which (until 2023) as Honorary Secretary. He holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Cambridge, has been a Chartered Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry since 1983, and was elected FRSC in 2017. Following post-doctoral research at the University of Oxford, Peter worked for the CEGB and its successor companies, initially at the Scientific Services Department in the South East Region and later at Berkeley Nuclear Laboratories. His work has covered coolant chemistry during irradiation in Magnox reactors, the behaviour of metallic uranium fuel and its cladding, the measurement and prediction of irradiated graphite behaviour, and studies of hydrogen explosions and explosive effects on irradiated metals.
Now retired from Magnox, Peter is a Visiting Fellow in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Manchester, where he continues to study irradiation damage in graphite.
Dr. Yuanting Qiao, Lecturer in Chemical Engineering at Swansea University
Dr. Yuanting Qiao joined the British Carbon Group in 2025. She received the PhD degree in Chemical Engineering from Queen’s University Belfast and subsequently worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Sheffield. She is currently a Lecturer in Chemical Engineering at Swansea University, specialising in net-zero technologies with a particular focus on decarbonisation, biomass reuse, and related life cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economic analysis (TEA).
Dr Katie Jones, Lecturer in Environmental and Analytical Chemistry, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Plymouth| UK (LinkedIn)
Dr Katie Jones is a Lecturer in Environmental and Materials Chemistry at the University of Plymouth and Director of the Radioisotope and Advanced Materials Suite (RAMS) — a newly opened facility combining radiochemistry and advanced materials characterisation capabilities. She was elected to the British Carbon Group committee in 2024 and is an active member of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), contributing to regional engagement through the RSC Peninsula Local Section. Katie’s research focuses on the characterisation and modelling of porous carbon materials, with a particular emphasis on nuclear graphite — including its sustainable recycling, re‑manufacturing, and microstructural evolution for next-generation nuclear reactors. Her work integrates advanced experimental techniques (such as mercury porosimetry, helium pycnometry, and gas adsorption) with computational modelling of pore structure and transport behaviour. She plays a key role in the UK-wide ENLIGHT programme, which explores sustainable graphite pathways for advanced reactor systems, and is passionate about STEM outreach and skills development, leading national initiatives to connect research in carbon materials with education and industry.
Sergey Mikhalovsky, ANAMAD Ltd and Visiting Professor at University of Southampton
Corresponding Member
Gareth Neighbour, Engineering & Innovation, The Open University
Gareth joined the Open University (OU) in 2019. He has held senior roles including Head of School at the OU, Professor/Head of School of Engineering and the Built Environment at BCU, Professor/Head of Mechanical Engineering and Mathematical Sciences at Oxford Brookes and Deputy Dean of Science at the University of Hull. To date, he has provided independent research and advice to the nuclear and other heavy industries, including EDF Energy as Chair of a technical group, the regulator and also the IAEA related to carbon materials, specifically nuclear graphites. He has a substantial research income to date. He is currently the Senior Editor of the high-impact journal, Carbon (Elsevier) and a past Chair of the British Carbon Group.