R. Ford Hurley

I graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a degree in Physics in the spring of 2007. As an undergraduate, I worked at the Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics (SCIPP). After graduation, I was hired on as a full time researcher. My primary focus at SCIPP involved studying silicon strip particle detectors for the ATLAS detector upgrade at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. My work there mainly involved running thorough tests to characterize detectors after significant radiation damage. This was important because the detectors in the ATLAS experiment need to continue working for years despite being subject to intense radiation which would quickly destroy most radiation detectors. To perform these tests, I worked on automation hardware, data acquisition systems, and various environmental control systems.

In October 2008, I was hired by Loma Linda University to work on several medical physics projects. One project we're working on is developing a prototype proton CT scanner. Proton CT is a new imaging technique which uses protons instead of x-rays to create tomographic images. My primary focus is on building the detector hardware and data acquisition systems, but I have been involved heavily with many other aspects, including: data processing and statistical analysis, developing procedures for system calibration and evaluation, conducting experiments with the proton accelerator, developing Monte Carlo simulations, and optimizing computational and mathematical aspects of the image reconstruction algorithm software.

Other projects at Loma Linda that I have been involved in are biological studies of radiation treatment applications and radiation tolerance/protection for NASA and DoD funded research. I have also supported projects to develop new radiation treatment techniques and technologies and translate those techniques from the laboratory to the clinic.

Additionally, during the summer of 2011, along with a small group of enthusiastic and talented people, I formed a successful company: FPGA Mining LLC. The purpose of the company was to design and sell FPGA based processors for the bitcoin mining community. The business was closed in 2013, but the experience provided me with the opportunity to apply some of the skills I learned in scientific research to a commercial venture, as well as learn many new skills including cryptographic processing, electronics manufacturing, marketing, and customer support.

H.F.-W. Sadrozinski, R.P. Johnson, S. Macafee, A. Plumb, D. Steinberg, A. Zatserklyaniy, V.A. Bashkirov, R.F. Hurley, R. W. Schulte, "Development of a head scanner for proton CT," Nucl. Instrum. Methods A.

R.F. Hurley, R.W. Schulte, V.A. Bashkirov, A.J. Wroe, A. Ghebremedhin, H.F.-W. Sadrozinski, V. Rykalin, G. Coutrakon, P. Koss, and B. Patyal, "Water-equivalent path length calibration of a prototype proton CT scanner," Med. Phys. 39, 2438 (2012).

J. Missaghian, F. Hurley, V. Bashkirov, B. Colby, V. Rykalin, S. Kachigiun, D. Fusi, R. Schulte, F. Martinez-McKinney, H. Sadrozinsky, S. Penfold, "Beam test results of a CsI calorimeter matrix element," Journal of Instrumentation, 5, (2010).

V.A. Bashkirov, R.F. Hurley, R.W. Schulte, "A novel detector for 2D ion detection in low-pressure gas and its applications," Nuclear Science Symposium Conference Record 2009, 694-698 (2009).

V. Fadeyev, M. Gerling, J. Wright, P. Maddock, C. Betancourt, F. Hurley, H.F.-W. Sadrozinski, "Improving pixel detectors: Active area optimization and high temperature annealing," Nuclear Science Symposium Conference Record 2009, 1674-1677 (2009).

C. Betancourt, G. Alers, N. Dawson, M. Gerling, R.F. Hurley, H.F.-W. Sadrozinski, S. Sattari, "Analysis of deep level parameters in irradiated silicon detectors," Nucl. Instrum. Methods A, 612, Issue 3, Pages 534-538 (2010).

M.K. Petterson, R.F. Hurley, K. Arya, C. Betancourt, M. Bruzzi, B. Colby, M. Gerling, C. Meyer, J. Pixley, T. Rice, H.F.-W. Sadrozinski, J. Bernardini, L. Borrello, F. Fiori, and A. Messineo, "Determination of the charge collection efficiency in neutron irradiated silicon detectors," IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science, Volume 56, Issue 6, Page 3828 (2009).

M. Bruzzi, C. Betancourt, M. Gerling, R.F. Hurley, M.K. Petterson, H.F.-W. Sadrozinski, "Extraction of the effective doping density profile in irradiated strip detectors," Nuclear Science Symposium Conference Record 2007, 1332-1335 (2007).