ERA Executive Committee (2020-2021)

President: Wolfgang Ringer (AGES – Austria)

Wolfgang Ringer graduated in Physics and is the Head of the National Radon Centre of Austria at the Austrian Health Agency (AGES) in Linz. He has over 20 years of experience in various radon issues, in particular measurement, mitigation, prevention and national radon strategies. He and his team are in charge of the Austrian radon strategy and radon action plan. Wolfgang participated in the WHO Indoor Radon Project (2005-2009), the EU-project Radon Prevention and Remediation (RADPAR, 2009-2012) and in ISO/TC 85/SC 2/WG 17 “Radioactivity Measurements”.

Vice-president: Per Nilsson (ÅF – Sweden)

Since 2016 he is a partner and Business Manager at Independia International offering consultancy, measuring instrumentation and products for radon prevention and corrective measures for radon with focus on Europe. Started in 2006 as laboratory engineer then deputy laboratory manager at Gammadata Measuring Technique later Landauer Nordic. Later became International sales manager for radon products including expert role and consultancy. Involved in technical training for IAEA and special working group. One of the initiators of the Swedish Radon Association  Much engaged in the upcoming EU-directive and the national implementations of the directive.

Treasurer: Boris Dehandschutter (FANC – Belgium)

Boris Dehandschutter is active in the field of radiation protection. The research topic of his PhD (in Geology, 2001) has been the structural evolution of sedimentary basins, using among others environmental radioactivity measurements and mapping. After post-doctoral research on the geological aspects of radioactive waste disposal (fracture development and fracture permeability of argillaceous sediments), he coordinated several international projects related to natural radioactivity and its environmental impact. Since 2007 he works at the Belgian radiation protection authority (FANC) on the topics of natural radioactivity (NORM and radon). He is responsible for the national radon programme of Belgium, including radon risk mapping, radon measurement campaigns in dwellings and workplaces, radon awareness activities, training and development of regulations regarding radon.

Secretary: José – Luis Gutiérrez (Radonova laboratories AB – Sweden)

 José – Luis Gutiérrez Villanueva is a postdoctoral researcher at University of Cantabria (Radon group – Spain). He is a PhD. on Physics with the Thesis entitled “Radon concentrations in air, soil and water in a granitic area: instrumental development and measurements“. His research involves radon gas and natural radioactivity as well as monitoring of radioactivity at steel factories. He has expertise on metrology techniques for natural and artificial radioactivity such as gamma spectrometry, liquid scintillation counting and measurement of radon gas both passive and active methods (air, soil and water). Dr. Gutiérrez-Villanueva has a very wide international experience and background due to his research stays at different centres in Europe: University of Neuchâtel (Switzerland, 1 month), Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland (Ireland, 3 months) and Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (Uppsala, Sweden, 2 and a half years). He has participated in more than 13 research projects being some of them joint collaborations among European countries. In terms of research production, he owns 16 peer-review publications at the present moment and more than 30 contributions to national and international conferences. Besides, his lecturing includes master courses (national and international) and he has been the supervisor of 2 Master Thesis adding one more and another PhD. Thesis currently ongoing. His activity in professional bodies extends to: founding member of ERA (European Radon Association) and secretary of the Executive Committee of this association; Member of ISO TC 85/SC 2 “Radiological protection”, ISO TC 147/SC3 “Radioactivity measurements”; Member of Spanish Technical committee for normalization AEN/CTN 73 “Industria Nuclear”. Secretary of Working Group “Radon” in AEN/CTN 73 “Industria Nuclear”. Member of Spanish Technical committee for normalization AEN/CTN 77/ SC 1 “Medio ambiente/Agua”; Member of Royal Spanish Physical Society, Member of Spanish Medical Physical Society, Member of Swedish Society for Radioecology; Referee of “Journal of Radiological Protection”, “Waste Management Research”, “Journal of Environmental Radioactivity”

Carmela Carpentieri (ISS – Italy)

Rebecca Coates (PropertECO – UK)

Rebecca Coates is Commercial Director of Bath-based propertECO. Since co-founding propertECO in 2011, Rebecca has managed national radon testing and mitigation programmes for major clients including high street retailers, banks and hotel chains.Rebecca is a leading communicator on the subject of radon gas, delivering CPD seminars to hundreds of professionals each year. Rebecca sits on the Board of the UK Radon Association and was recently elected to the Executive Committee of the European Radon Association, where she is responsible for the marketing and social media campaigns. At the 2015 International Radon Symposium in Minneapolis, Rebecca was given an award for her “innovation, dedication and effectiveness in furthering radon education and awareness in the United Kingdom”.

Bernard Collignan (CSTB – France)

Bernard Collignan is a Senior Research Engineer, Ph-D in the field of Fluid Mechanics and Energy. He works at the Centre Scientifique et Technique du Bâtiment (CSTB) since 1996, initially in thermal and ventilation of buildings and now in the field of Indoor Air Quality. He is involved for several years in the field of management of the impact of soil gaseous pollutants on Indoor Air Quality: industrial pollution (VOCs) or natural (radon). His work includes the development of models to study the transfer of soil gaseous pollutants to indoor environments for the characterization of indoor exposures, the development and the design of solutions to protect buildings from these pollutants, and in a more general way, as scientific and technical support for public authorities in the management of these issues and the dissemination of information to building professionals and users.

Maria Hansen (GM Scientific – UK)

Erik Hulber (Radosys – Hungary) 

   

Krzysztof Kozak (Institute of Nuclear Physics PAN – Poland)

Krzysztof Kozak is Assoc.Prof. Institute of Nuclear Physics PAN (IFJ PAN); Head of Laboratory of Radiometric Expertise. Areas of research: Identification and high-sensitive measurements of gamma isotopes in environmental samples, high-sensitive radon and thoron measurements, low-background gamma spectroscopy, calculation and modelling of environmental doses.

James Mc Laughlin(University College Dublin – Ireland)

James Mc Laughlin is an Emeritus Academic Member of the School of Physics, University College Dublin where, inter alia, he was leader of the Radon Research Group. He is the author of circa 140 scientific publications mostly in the radon field. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics (London) and has also been Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade. In the mid 1980s he designed and carried out the first national Irish survey of indoor radon which identified for the first time high radon areas in Ireland. He has been a participant in a number of European Commission and World Health Organisation activities in the field of Indoor Air Quality. Over the years he has participated in several research projects funded by the European Commission most recently as leader of the Radon Risk Communication Work Package in the RADPAR (Radon Prevention and Remediation) Project (2005-2009). He was also Leader of the Radon Risk Communication Working Group of the World Health Organisation International Radon Project (2005-2009) and on a number of occasions has served as a consultant/technical expert to the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) on radon topics. Recently (2011-2014) he has been a member of the ICRU (International Commission on Radiation Units) Report Committee on Measurement and Reporting of Radon Exposures. He is a Member of the Environmental Radioactivity Advisory Committee to the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland and was a member of the Irish Government Advisory Expert Committee on the introduction of the Workplace Smoking Ban Legislation in 2004. His current interest is in the area of risk communication in the context of strategies to reduce the public health impact of radon exposure in Europe.

Massimo Moroni (Geoex – Italy)

Paulo Pinto (Radosys Atlantic – Portugal)

Dobromir Pressyanov (U. Sofia – Bulgaria)

Dobromir Pressyanov graduated nuclear physics in 1985 and worked as a health physicist in uranium industry and its health inspection till 1994. He acquired PhD in 1993 and DSc in 2013. Since 1994 Dr. Pressyanov works at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” where currently he is professor of physics (dosimetry and radiation protection). Most of his research (more than 120 publications and 4 patents) is related to radon and thoron. Particular topics that are worth to mention include retrospective measurements of radon and thoron (by CD/DVDs), organizing  radon surveys in radon priority areas in Bulgaria, consultancy on mitigation of buildings. So far Dobromir Pressyanov has provided technical consultancy for mitigation of 24 buildings (most of them kindergartens and schools) in Bulgaria and have designed two radon prevention systems in new buildings (kindergartens). He was engaged as an expert in the International Radon Project of the World Health Organisation (2005-2008). In 2017 he served as Guest editor of special issues of Journal of Environmental Radioactivity and Radiation Protection Dosimetry, dedicated to radon. He has been head/member of organizing or scientific committees of international conferences and invited lecturer at conferences and institutions in different countries in Europe and North America. He is involved in national and international radon related projects and frequently invited to speak on radon on TV and radio programs in Bulgaria.

Vladimir Udovicic (Institute of Physics Belgrade – Serbia)

Vladimir Udovicic has Ph.D. in nuclear physics on the research focussed on light-ion induced nuclear reactions obtained by electrical discharges. After he completed Ph.D. in 2006, he started research work on radon topics:  radon monitoring using active and passive devices, study connections of meteorological variables and radon concentrations variability using multivariate classification and regression methods, modelling of the indoor radon behaviour and radon policy, action plan and mapping. From 1996 he is permanently employed in the Institute of Physics Belgrade, currently at the position of Senior Research Associate and Head of Low-Background Laboratory for Nuclear Physics.  From the beginning of the career, he worked on the national research projects of the Ministry of Science of the Republic of Serbia and international regional projects funded by IAEA as a counterpart for Serbia. From 2013, he is the chairman of the board of Serbian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency, Serbian regulatory body in the field of radiation protection. From 2011, he is the member of the Executive Board of Society for Radiation Protection of Serbia and Montenegro.

Former members

Constantin Cosma (U. Babes-Bolyai – Romania)

Constantin Cosma is a Professor at Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania; Main courses: Nuclear Physics and Radiation Physics, Faculty of Environmental Sciences an Engineering, Str. Fantanele, 30, Cluj-Napoca, PhD supervisor. Director of Environmental Radioactivity and Nuclear Dating Center, Institute of Interdisciplinary Research in Bio-Nano Sciences, Cluj-Napoca, Treboniu Laurian, 46. Research fields: Radiation Physics – Natural and Artificial Radioactivity and their Applications in Geophysics, Medical Physics and Environment. Radon is the main field. Publications: more as 110 ISI papers and Hirsh factor 13. Two patents regarding radon remediations in buildings (under reviewing)

Martin Freeman (PropertECO – UK) 

Martin Freeman is Managing Director of propertECO, a leading UK radon testing and remediation company. He is also Chairman of the UK Radon Association.

Martin has been at the forefront of the radon industry since the early 1990s, when he was the initiator of an industry technical and self-regulatory body and has a wealth of practical experience in the radon mitigation techniques.  An innovator at heart, Martin developed a system to overcome the conflict between modern basement waterproofing techniques and radon management. This system is now successfully implemented in many basement conversions to protect the occupants from high radon concentrations. With a strong personal interest in radon, and has fought for many years for the hazard to receive more attention amongst Government, professionals and the general public.

Borja Frutos Vázquez (Eduardo Torroja Institute – Spain)

Architect by the University of Madrid, Spain, and PhD by the same university with the theme “Constructive solutions to protect buildings against radon gas.” Currently working in the CSIC (National Research Council), which conducts research in the areas of habitability, particularly in the subjects of protection against radon, indoor air quality, thermal performance of buildings, energy efficiency, and building acoustics. Collaborate with the Spanish Technical Building Code in the area of protection against radon. He has participated in several national research projects. He is a member of the following committees: Participation in Committees for Standardization: Acoustics CTN 74 92; Thermal Insulation CTN 72; Radon CTN 73/WG1; Member of Editorial Board of the journal “Monographs” Eduardo Torroja Institute-CSIC; Member of Editorial Board of the journal “Reports construction” Eduardo Torroja Institute-CSIC.

Several publications in technical and scientific journals, books or chapter, in the following topics (DIT Documents technical assessment of innovative products in the construction, radon in buildings, Analysis of the performance of building envelopes; Bioclimatism integrated in urban planning, systems passive solar gains, Acoustic behavior of building elements.

Stephanie Hurst (Saxony Ministry of Environment & Agriculture – Germany)

Stephanie Hurst is responsible for radon protection and other questions regarding natural radioactivity at the Saxon State Ministry for Environment and Agriculture in Germany. Her background is geology (Technical University Munich) with a PhD (Technical University Freiberg) on the role of radium and radon as natural tracers in groundwater. Her main field of work after the PhD was the development and licensing of remediation measures for the eastern German uranium mining legacy. Since 2009 the focus switched to NORM and radon protection. Since then she developed and supervised about a dozen measures for radon information and education, co-operating closely with colleagues from other German states, universities, the Federal Agency for Radiation Protection and some international partners.

Geraldine Ielsch (IRSN – France)

Matej Neznal (Radon v.o.s – Czech Republic)

Expert in: radon potential assessment, radon in soil gas and gas permeability measurements, building foundations. He has been involved in radon measurements since 1990. Co-author of the uniform method for assessing the radon risk of building sites, that has been used in the Czech Republic since 1991 (and modified several times). The method or its parts has been applied for the purpose of radon risk mapping f.e. in Canada and in the EU. In 1990, he established together with two partners the first private Czech firm dealing with radon risk evaluation, Radon v.o.s. Besides commercial activities, the firm has participated in many research projects, has organized several international intercomparison exercises focused on soil-gas radon concentration measurements and the regular “International Workshop on the Geological Aspects of Radon Risk Mapping“.

André Poffijn (FANC – Belgium)

Luis S. Quindos Poncela (U. Cantabria – Spain)

Luis Santiago Quindos Poncela is Professor of Radiology and Medical Physics at the University of Cantabria since 2001. He teaches all levels of higher education on matters related to medical physics, radiation physics, radiation protection and environmental radioactive contamination. Prof. Quindós is Director of Radon Group of the University, and has directed during the last 30 years a big number of research projects, both national and international, related to the measurement of the radioactivity of natural origin, emphasizing those related to the presence of radon gas in both homes and workplaces. Similarly, since more than 10 years ago he had established collaboration agreements related to radiation protection and the development of new detection systems with different industries, especially related to the steel industry. He has authored over 140 scientific publications including specialized books, book chapters, journal articles and communications to national and international conferences.

Carlos Sainz Fernández (U. Cantabria – Spain)

Carlos Sainz Fernandez is Associate Professor of Radiology and Physical Medicine, University of Cantabria since 2010. He teaches all levels of higher education on matters related to medical physics, radiation physics, radiation protection and environmental radioactive contamination. His research career has been focused on the study of human exposure to ionizing radiation, especially from natural sources. He had participated in over 30 research projects, European, national and regional. During the period 2010-2013 he has been Project Manager of the Research Project of the European Commission entitled ” Implementation of radon remediation techniques in dwelling of Baita uranium mine area, IRART” approved within the SECTOR OPERATIONAL PROGRAMME ” COMPETITIVENESS INCREASE OF ECONOMIC ” . The project was developed in the uraniferous area Stei – Baita (Romania ) , where due to high concentrations of radium in the soil and the use of building materials from the area, radon levels inside dwellings were significantly high. He is the author of more than 80 specialized scientific publications including books, book chapters, journal articles and communications to national and international conferences.

Johan Wintheim (Independia – Sweden/Norway)