Dr Matthew Brand completed his PhD in nuclear engineering in 2024 at UNSW, after graduating with the University Medals in Mechanical Engineering and Advanced Physics at UNSW in 2020. His research focusses on understanding and characterising the radiation damage and shielding properties of materials used in nuclear environments. He has developed computational methods to accelerate the determination of these responses, and his codes are currently used by industry for the design of fusion reactors. Matthew has authored multiple patents, industry reports and journal articles. He is currently an Associate Lecturer in Nuclear Engineering at the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering UNSW, teaching courses on Reactor Physics, and coordinating the nuclear engineering curriculum as the Nuclear Engineering Specialisation Lead.