"Our People at JINR": Ivan Suslov
Ivan, please tell us a bit about your studies at the university. Which subjects did you particularly enjoy?
At the university, I went through all stages of education from Bachelor's to postgraduate studies in the field of Chemistry. I enjoyed the subjects "Organic Chemistry", "Chemistry of High-Molecular Compounds", and "Radiochemistry" the most. Overall, professors during my studies at the university were of a very high level, and I gained broad knowledge in various fields of chemistry and natural science.
What were your impressions when you first visited the DLNP site?
I first visited the DLNP site during an introductory internship during my first year at the university. We were shown several laboratories, including the Department of Nuclear Spectroscopy and Radiochemistry, where I am currently working. At that time, it made a strong impression on me, and I was once again convinced of my correct choice of university for my studies.
Who was your scientific supervisor? What was your relationship like?
My scientific supervisor, to this day, remains Doctor of Technical Sciences Igor Borisovich Nemchenok. Our relationship began from the moment I chose him as the supervisor for my course project in organic chemistry. In fact, under his guidance, I wanted to continue my scientific path within the walls of DLNP JINR, and I am grateful to him for many years of fruitful cooperation and for shaping me as a scientist. The team of the department, the pleasant atmosphere, the interesting field of research, and career prospects became compelling reasons for my decision to stay in the department.
What tasks are you working on today?
Currently, I am engaged in the development and research of scintillation materials for detecting ionizing radiation, in particular, tellurium-loaded organic scintillators for experiments searching for neutrinoless double beta decay¹ and plastic scintillators with pulse shape discrimination capability. I am finishing writing my candidate dissertation.
What would you like to wish students and prospective students?
I would like to wish students and applicants success in exploring themselves and the world around us.
¹Neutrinoless double beta decay is a very rare type of nuclear decay predicted by theoretical physicists several decades ago, but still not observed by anyone. The discovery of neutrinoless double beta decay could shed light on the absolute masses of neutrinos and their hierarchy. The detection of this process would be unambiguous confirmation of the existence of new physics beyond the Standard Model of elementary particles.
Interview by Sona Bunina
