4 minute read
Hello, I’m Sam Flynn, and I work in the Radiotherapy and Radiation Dosimetry group at NPL. I’m currently on secondment at the Metrology Research Centre within the National Research Council (NRC) in Canada, where I’ve been exploring opportunities for collaboration and learning more about how our counterparts approach shared scientific challenges. This blog continues my reflections on that experience. Catch up on my month four blog.
One of my ongoing goals during this secondment is to explore how NRC’s processes and techniques might be adapted to NPL’s needs. This month, my focus has been on computational modelling, working closely with the team here and learning through an iterative process. We’ve combined short, rapid experiments with longer, more detailed studies. We’re now building a more complex proof of principle experiment to validate the ideas. I’ve experimented with 3D printing before, but the ability to rapidly manufacture complex geometries here has really highlighted its potential. It’s proving to be a powerful tool for prototyping and testing, especially when paired with flexible modelling workflows.
As mentioned in my previous blog, I’ve been interviewing people connected with NRC to explore what makes a National Metrology Institute world leading. My second interviewee is Professor Rowan Thomson, a researcher in the Department of Physics at Carleton University in Ottawa. Her work sits at the intersection of academic research and clinical relevance, and she has a long-standing connection with NRC through student placements and collaborative projects. Our conversation covered a range of topics from training and research culture to the broader impact of NRC’s work; and also touched on her strong advocacy for equity, diversity, and inclusion in science.
Photograph of Professor Rowan (left) with me (right).
Carleton University, and several of the other local institutions, have a strong working relationship with NRC. The best example of this is the Ottawa Medical Physics Institute (OMPI), which I was invited to present at during my first month at NRC. As a National Metrology Institute, we’re always looking to quantify, and thus maximise, our impact. The most straightforward ways to measure this are through metrics like revenue or scientific publications, but education in the principles of metrology is equally important. NRC, as the largest government scientific organisation in Canada, hosts many students and researchers at various stages of their careers.
Professor Rowan is a great example of this ecosystem in action. She spent three summers at NRC as a student, went on to pursue other opportunities, and later reconnected with NRC in her academic career. She also highlighted the value of perspective: “Students get different perspectives”, strengthening them for their later careers. Sharing students between NRC and local universities, she added, is “a great way to build bridges”. Professor Rowan has multiple students and post-doctoral researchers currently embedded in the NRC group.
Beyond simply sharing students, NRC’s close connection with Carleton and other local universities gives researchers access to NRC’s state of the art facilities and technical expertise. In Professor Rowan’s case, this collaboration provides the confidence to carry out accurate and reliable dosimetry in challenging non-standard environments; helping to strengthen joint research and ensure clinical relevance.
Something that I think is very interesting is that in all Canadian provinces except Quebec, medical physicists are required to complete an accredited PhD before entering a clinical residency. By collaborating with universities and hosting students during their research, NRC’s radiation group is able to both advance its own research and equip students with the skills needed to thrive as practicing medical physicists.
While an identical model wouldn’t work in the UK (due to the different process of gaining clinical accreditation), the idea of directly collaborating with institutions that train the next generation of medical physicists really appealed to me. In the UK, becoming a medical physicist typically involves a three-year NHS programme, the Scientist Training Programme (STP), and as part of this, students can undertake an elective placement of up to six weeks. NPL has hosted STP students in the past, but this has never been formally promoted or advertised and has mostly spread through word of mouth.
Between this and engaging more with the NPL Academy, which targets school leavers, I see real potential to build something more visible and structured. Having seen the long-term benefits of NRC’s ecosystem, this is something I’d actively like to promote upon my return. It’s a model that not only supports students, but also strengthens the scientific and medical communities, and that’s a form of impact worth investing in.
24 Nov 2025