Dr. Reid Townson

Research Summary

My research focuses on development and application of the EGSnrc Monte Carlo radiation transport software toolkit. EGSnrc is highly regarded internationally as a gold-standard code for electron, positron and photon transport at energies ranging from 1 keV to 10 GeV. Simulations involve modelling particle-by-particle individual interactions and scattering events to record the energy deposited (and other quantities) in complex geometries. Currently, I am one of the 3 primary developers and maintainers of the software, so much of my work revolves around adding new physics & features, improving the user experience, increasing robustness and fixing bugs. I also engage in research projects that use EGSnrc to model emerging technologies, or that push the capabilities of EGSnrc to new extremes.

In the metrology context, EGSnrc is used to support calibration services by providing predictive and insightful simulations of ionization chambers, complex experimental setups and variations of conditions that may be difficult or impossible to achieve in reality. For example, with simulations it is possible to determine the true dose to a medium, without the effects of a detector perturbing the signal. In medical physics, EGSnrc is widely used to model linear accelerators, other x-ray and radionuclide sources (e.g. brachytherapy), and investigate dose-to-patient scenarios.

I have interest in a range of projects suitable for student involvement, and a few ideas are listed here:
https://github.com/nrc-cnrc/EGSnrc/discussions/790

Publication list on Google Scholar:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=aR3GoHcAAAAJ&view_op=li…

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Dr. Reid Townson (he/his)

Research Officer, Metrology
National Research Council Canada / Government of Canada
Reid [dot] Townson nrc-cnrc [dot] gc [dot] ca
Tel: 613-993-2715 x241 / Fax: 613-952-9865 / TTY: 613-949-3042

Agent de recherche, Métrologie
Conseil national de recherches Canada / Gouvernement du Canada
Reid [dot] Townson cnrc-nrc [dot] gc [dot] ca
Tél: 613-993-2715 x241 / Docufax: 613-952-9865 / ATS: 613-949-3042