The British Carbon Group
The Brian Kelly Award 2011
Brian Kelly
Brian Kelly was a world authority both on the physics of graphite and on irradiation damage in solids. He was born and educated in Wales and spent most of his career working for the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, UKAEA. One of his major contributions at UKAEA was to the development of specifications for the isotropic graphite required for the graphite core for the British Advanced Gas cooled Reactors, AGR. Brian’s approach, which he carried out brilliantly, was to underpin engineering design data with an understanding of the basic science. For example he related the irradiation-induced dimensional changes in the graphite bricks in the reactor core to the displacement of atoms in the graphite crystal. Brian made many contributions to the basic science of graphite, much of it summarised in his much sought after book ‘The Physics of Graphite’, Applied Science Publishers, 1981. In 1981 he also received the Charles E Pettinos Award of the American Carbon Society for ‘ his many contributions to the theoretical and experimental aspects of the physics of carbon and graphite….’ After his retirement form the UKAEA, Brian was engaged as a consultant by Oak Ridge National Laboratories, USA. During a productive association with ORNL, Brian worked on a number of projects including graphites for high temperature gas-cooled reactors and the mechanisms of irradiation induced creep of graphite. Brian was an engaging person who wore his formidable learning lightly. At conferences he enjoyed vigorous but good-natured discussions on many topics but particularly on the physics of graphite.

This annual award was established in 1996 by the British Carbon Group in memory of Brian Kelly, a leading authority on the physics of graphite.

Nominations for the 2011 award can now be submitted. The winner will be announced at the 2011 International Carbon meeting in China.

The award is intended as a travel grant for students and early career researchers with up to ten years postdoctoral experience to attend the annual World Carbon Conference. Anyone living or working, at the time of that conference, in the country where the conference is held is not eligible. As a consequence, applications will not be accepted from China on this occasion.

The award is made upon the basis of an appraisal of THREE documents: (1) the extended abstract or paper as submitted to the C2011 conference, (2) a short CV (with the date of the award of PhD if applicable) and (3) a commentary provided normally by the candidate's supervisor or close colleague. Self-nomination is not permitted. The Award Committee of the British Carbon Group will determine the successful applicant.

The closing date for applications for C2011 will strictly be 4pm BST 30th April 2011. No submissions after this date will be accepted.

Previous applicants are welcome to re-apply.

The award is currently five hundred pounds sterling (£500) and is presented at the time of the conference with a certificate. It is a condition of the award that the winner attends the conference and presents his or her paper either orally or as a poster.

Applications may be transferred electronically to the Chairman of The British Carbon Group, Dr Gareth Neighbour, at g.b.neighbour@hull.ac.uk or, exceptionally, mailed to him at the following address: 

Dr Gareth Neighbour,
Chairman, The British Carbon Group,
Department of Engineering,
University of Hull,
Hull,
HU6 7RX,
United Kingdom.

Previous Winners:

2010: Jean-Philippe Tessonnier, Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Berlin, Germany.
2009: Gemma Haffenden, Theoretical Chemistry and Chemistry of Materials group, University of Sussex, UK.
2008: Denisa Hulicova-Jurcakova, ARC Centre of Excellence for Functional Nanomaterials, University of Queensland, Austrialia.
2007: Philip Adelhelm, Max-Planck-Institute of Colloids and Interfaces Potsdam, Germany
2006: An-hui Lu, Max-Planck-Institut fur Kohlenforschung, Mulheim an der Ruhr, Germany and
Emmanuel Flahaut Universite Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France (two awards)
2005:No award
2004:Q.H.Yang, Tohoku University, Sendai Japan.
2003:No award
2002:J. Y. Howe, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tennessee, USA and M. Guellali, University of Karlsruhe, Germany (two awards)
2001:Z.-X. Ma, Tohoku University, Japan
2000:J. Klett, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tennessee, USA and J. Andresen, Penn State University, USA (two awards)
1999:no award
1998:B. Fathollahi, University of California, San Diego, USA
1997:J. Barbosa-Mota, Inst. Biologia Experimental e Tecnologica, Oeiras, Portugal
1996:Y. Kawabuchi, Kyushu University, Japan

2010 winner, Jean-Philippe Tessonnier, with committee chairman Gareth Neighbour

2009 winner, Gemma Haffenden, with committee chairman Gareth Neighbour

2008 winner, Denisa Hulicova-Jurcakova, with committee chairman Gareth Neighbour

2007 winner, Philip Adelhelm, with the committee member Gareth Neighbour

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