Skip to Main Content

Our people-our expertise: Drew Watson

Our people-our expertise

Drew Watson

Qualifications | Research interests | Publications | Presentations | Memberships

Drew is the Principal Health Physicist at Forensic and Scientific Services Radiation and Nuclear Science unit. His tasks span a broad base of radiation protection consultancy services ranging from dosimetry advice to project management for complex environmental and occupational radiological impact assessments.  As leader of the Radiation and Nuclear Science unit, Drew strives to provide services tailored to client needs and consistent with best practice radiation protection governance and culture.

Drew has an interest in environmental applications of Health Physics. In particular, the characterisation of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) under circumstances where there is a juncture between the public, environment and sources of NORM.

Qualifications

  • Certified Radiation Safety Advisor, Australasian Radiation Protection Accreditation Board
  • Graduate Certificate of Health Science (Emergency & Disaster Management), Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane
  • Graduate Diploma of Occupational Health and Safety, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Qld.
  • Diploma of Leadership and Management, TAFE Queensland, Brisbane, Qld.
  • Bachelor of Applied Science -First Class Honours- (Physics), Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Qld.
  • Bachelor of Applied Science (Environmental Science/Physics), Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Qld.

Research interests and expertise

  • Sites contaminated by historical mineral sand processing activities.
  • Radiological characterisation of environmental sites and systems.

Publications

Kleinschmidt R, Watson D, Janik M, Gillmore G (2018) The presence and dosimetry of radon and thoron in a historical, underground metalliferous mine. Journal of Sustainable Mining 17(3):120-130. DOI: 10.1016/j.jsm.2018.06.003

Watson D (2016) Baseline radiological mapping of Queensland. EIANZ News 27 June 2016.

Kleinschmidt R, Watson D (2016) Terrestrial gamma radiation baseline mapping using ultra low density sampling methods. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 151 Pt 3: 609-22. DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2015.05.008

Kleinschmidt R, Barr S, Cook ML, Watson DM. (2009) Environmental Tritium Contamination from a Gaseous Tritium Light Device Maintenance Facility. Radioprotection, 44 (5). pp. 359-363.

Presentations

Oct 2023: Mapping Radium in Creek Bed Sediment from Introduced Groundwater, with Chauhan P, Bouchereau de Pury P, Medley P and Wiggins M. In: ARPS2023 Annual Conference of the Australasian Radiation Protection Society, Gold Coast, QLD.

Nov  2022: The Review of the ICRP System of Protection - Practical Feedback from Members of the Australasian Radiation Protection Society. ICRP 2021+1, the 6th International Symposium on the System of Radiological Protection, Vancouver, Canada. 

Aug 2022: A Career Doing Radiological Investigations and Working in a Radioanalytical Laboratory. Students Meet Industry Night, Australasian Radiation Protection Society (Queensland branch) and Radiation Safety User Group, Brisbane Qld. 

Nov 2021: Calibration of Radiation Survey Meters, with Wiggins M. ACPSEM Summer School: Deep Dive into Dosimetry, Brisbane Qld.

Nov 2021: Detection and Measurement of Low-Level Activity. ACPSEM Summer School: Deep Dive into Dosimetry, Brisbane Qld.

Dec 2019: Radon, Thoron and Progeny Distribution in a Low Air Mixing Environment. In: 5th International Symposium on the System of Radiological Protection (ICRP2019), Adelaide, SA.

Aug 2019: Marie Curie - a historical example for emerging hazards. In: Radiation Safety User Group Meeting, Brisbane, Qld.

Nov 2018: Passive Radon, Thoron and Thoron Progeny Measurements throughout a Historical Mine. In: 15th South Pacific Environmental Radioactivity Association Conference, Perth, WA.

Nov 2018: Portable XRF Dosimetry, with Coles, K. In: Australasian Radiation Protection Society (Queensland Branch Meeting), Brisbane, Qld.

Dec 2017: Awareness of Ionizing Radiation Hazards. In: Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists Inc 35th Annual Conference and Exhibition, Canberra, ACT.

Oct 2017: Radiation & Nuclear Sciences – who we are and what we do. In: Australasian Radiation Protection Society (Queensland Branch Meeting),  Brisbane, Qld.

Oct 2015: Radon measurements in an underground experimental mine. In: 40th Annual Conference of the Australasian Radiation Protection Society,  Canberra, ACT.

Oct 2014: Assessment of radiologically contaminated land. In: Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand Annual Conference, Hobart, Tas.

Oct 2014: Decontamination of an industrial facility contaminated with Caesium-137. In: 39th Annual Conference of the Australasian Radiation Protection Society, Hobart, Tas.

Sep 2014: Ultra low density sampling methods and applications in baseline radiometric mapping, with Kleinschmidt R. In: South Pacific Environmental Radioactivity Association conference (SPERA 2014), Darwin, Northern Territory.

May 2014: Gamma Spectrometry and ICP-MS assessment of NORM in Queensland major drainage catchments, with Kleinschmidt R, and Finlayson, S. In: IRPA Regional Congress - Proceedings of the Fourth Asian and Oceanic Congress on Radiation Protection (AOCRP-4), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Oct 2013: Accuracy and portability of background gamma radiation survey data, with Kleinschmidt R. In: Australasian Radiation Protection Society (ARPS2013) Conference, Cairns, Qld.

 

Memberships


Drew Watson
Principal Health Physicist, Radiation and Nuclear Science
email: drew.watson@health.qld.gov.au
phone: +61 7 3096 2901