Jackie Akhavan

edit

Biography

edit

Jackie Akhavan grew up in London, UK.[1] She attended Southampton University where she received her BS in chemistry in 1979. After graduating, she began working at Pirelli General developing polymeric optical fibers for communication. She worked at Pirelli for 3 years when she went back into academia by joining Cranfield University as a polymer and physical chemistry lecture. She also received her Masters degree in Philosophy in 1982 and then received her PhD in polymer chemistry from Southampton University.[2] At Cranfield, she first started her work using the explosives in fireworks by understanding the reactions taking place as well as making them safe for the public to use. Eventually, she was promoted to senior lecturer at Cranfield and became the head of the MSc in explosives. Her research also is focused on polymer bonded explosives and their applications. During her tenure, she has received numerous research contracts from government organization, such as the Ministry of Defense UK, and also various corporate contracts from companies such as BAe Systems and MBDA. Most of her work, however, is secret due to the nature of her work and and the application of her research will never be published.[1] In 2007, she was given a chair in explosive chemistry and is now the Head of the Center for Defense Chemistry.[2] As of September 2014, her current research is focused on making it easier for government agencies to detect explosives during security screenings like the ones conducted at airports. The main focus of the this new research is developing viable ways to detect liquid and paste explosives. Akhavan also helps to train government agencies in bomb recognition and detection to improve safety. [1]

The Chemistry of Explosives

edit

Jackie Akhavan publish a book called The Chemistry of Explosives.This book covered many different aspects of explosives including the classification of explosives, combustion, ignition, thermochemistry, and kinetics. Also, there is a introduction to explosives at the beginning of the book that goes of over the development of most the notable explosives used today. The book is meant to teach others about the science behind explosive compounds.[3]

Notable Work[4]

edit
  • United Kingdom Ministry of Defense
  • BAe Systems
  • Chemring
  • MBDA
  • SPEX
  • Roxel
  • SAFEX
  • Pirelli General R&D
  • Leonardo da Vinci Eu Programme
  • Head of Center for Defense Chemistry
  1. ^ a b c Akhavan, Jackie (September 30, 2014). "The Life Scientific". BBC Radio 4. BBC. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Jacqueline Akhavan | Chemistry | University of Southampton". www.southampton.ac.uk. Retrieved 2015-11-30.
  3. ^ Akahvan, Jackie (July 8, 2011). The Chemistry of Explosives. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Royal Society of Chemistry. ISBN 1849733309.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
  4. ^ "Professor Jackie Akhavan". www.cranfield.ac.uk. Retrieved 2015-11-30.