Join us in Darwin for a three-day, in-person course covering the fundamentals of alpha spectrometry and the radiochemistry methods used to isolate alpha-emitting radionuclides in environmental samples. The course is designed for both
new and experienced users, and combines lectures, troubleshooting guidance, and hands-on laboratory and instrument training.
Key topics
- Radiation decay and interactions of alpha radiation with matter
- Detectors, electronics & measurement (including calibration and instrument maintenance)
- Practical instrument / radiochemistry method training
- Spectra, statistics & analysis (including calculating results)
- Radiochemistry methods used for alpha spec source preparation (pros and cons)
Who should attend
This course is aimed at new and experienced users who want training in:
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the basics of alpha spectrometry, and
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radiochemistry methods currently used for isolating environmental radioactivity of alpha-emitting radionuclides.
Regular hands-on users of alpha spectrometry systems, and radiochemists wishing to expand their knowledge of processes and pitfalls in radiochemical separations, will benefit most from this course.
Format
Trainers will be experienced radiochemists from the environmental and radiopharmaceutical radiochemistry industry.
The course runs over three days, with a mixture of:
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lectures covering alpha spectrometry fundamentals
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troubleshooting guidance
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hands-on radiochemistry supporting alpha spectrometry (sample preparation, separation chemistry, and source preparation)
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hands-on instrument training
Prerequisites
It is recommended attendees have some familiarity with alpha spectrometry measurement systems.
Hands-on radiochemistry training requires an understanding of analytical chemistry and laboratory safety. A degree in Chemistry or equivalent experience is highly recommended. It is desirable that attendees are working in a field of radiochemistry (e.g., radiopharmaceutical, environmental, etc.).
Benefits of attending
By the end of the course, attendees will understand the basis for low-level measurement of alpha-emitting radionuclides and the radiochemistry required to produce defensible measurements that meet laboratory requirements.
Attendees will also benefit from the opportunity to network and train with other users, experienced alpha spectrometrists, and radiochemists.
Location
15–17 June 2026 — Darwin
Venues: Office of the Supervising Scientist and Darwin Airport Resort (Novotel / Mercure / Ibis).
The course will be held at The Environmental Research Institute the Supervising Scientist (ERISS), Darwin NT. ERISS is a complex of offices and laboratories including a chemistry laboratory, a radioactivity laboratory, a geomorphology laboratory, an aquatic biology laboratory and a plant laboratory. The Environmental Radioactivity team within ERISS undertakes low-level radionuclide measurements on environmental samples including water, soil, sediment, plants and animals including those consumed by Aboriginal people as bush foods. The alpha spectrometry system used at ERISS is an ORTEC system utilising ORTEC MAESTRO software and an in-house custom program for spectral analysis.
Places
- Registration is capped at 20 participants.
- A waitlist will be created once capacity is reached.
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- Payment is required within 7 days of invoice issue.
- Unpaid registrations after this time will be cancelled to offer the place to waitlisted participants.
The Presenters
Michaela Froehlich:
Michaela Froehlich has obtained her PhD in chemistry from the University of Vienna in 2011 and has significant experience in radiochemistry. Her measurements demonstrated for the first time that uranium-236 is detectable in the environment.
In 2012, she moved to Australia to accept a Postdoctoral Position at the Australian National University where she continued combining innovative chemistry and Accelerator Mass Spectrometry. She is also part of the Advanced Metrology Team at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Physics where she develops chemical separation techniques to extract radioimpurities such as lead-210 and optimises the AMS measurements to characterise and quantify their background in high-purity detector material.
In 2019, she was awarded the Trevor Ophel Innovation Award and in 2023, the Environmental Chemistry Medal Award by the Royal Australian Chemical Institute in recognition of her work dedicated to developing methods for trace level actinide radionuclides used as environmental tracers. She serves as Associate Editor for the “Journal of Environmental Radioactivity” (2023) and is the Vice-President of the South Pacific Environmental Radioactivity Association (2024).
Michaela is also a STEM Coach as part of the Curious Minds program since 2022. Here, she coaches and mentors female Year 9 and Year 10 students to explore their potential in STEM studies and careers.
Madison Williams-Hoffman
Dr Madison Williams-Hoffman is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Radiation Innovation, aka RadInnovate, at the Australian National University. Her research revolves around the detection and assessment of radionuclides in the Australian environment, while her PhD at Edith Cowan University focussed on the quantification of nuclear-weapon legacies in coastal ecosystems. She has years of practical experience with alpha spectrometry techniques for the quantification of anthropogenic radionuclides from nuclear activities, as well as 210Po applied to the measurement of sediment dating in aquatic environments. She is a long-time member of both the South Pacific Environmental Radioactivity Association (SPERA) and the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) and is passionate about helping foster the production of good quality radionuclide measurements and data in Australia now and into the future.
Peter Medley
Peter Medley obtained his PhD in Research at the Australian National University School of Physics and Engineering, Canberra in 2025, on ‘New techniques to assess 231Pa and 227Ac abundance and transfer in environmental media’. He has over 20 years of experience in radiation protection, including environmental radiochemistry, gamma surface surveys, radon monitoring and dose assessment. Peter works in Radiation Sciences (Queensland Health) with demonstrated specialist expertise in techniques for low-level measurement of environmental radioactivity, alpha and gamma spectrometry, liquid scintillation counting techniques and method development. He has published and presented on practical radiochemical improvements for alpha spectrometry source preparation (including rapid micro-precipitation approaches for 210Po), with an emphasis on robust performance in complex sample matrices. He is currently on a secondment with the Environmental Research Institute of the Supervising Scientist in Darwin.
John Pfitzner
John is an experienced practitioner in environmental radioactivity measurement with the Office of the Supervising Scientist. His diverse technical experience includes laboratory and field instrumentation, with a special focus on HPGe gamma detector calibrations, environmental radon measurements and assessing radon retention in sample containers—experience that strongly complements end-to-end alpha spectrometry training (from sample prep through to defensible results).
Certificate
A Certificate of Attendance will be provided to participants.
What to bring
Water resistant, closed-in shoes covering the toe, with non-slip soles. Safety glasses will be mandatory in the radiochemistry laboratory so people should bring their own prescription safety glasses or over-glasses if needed.