Zsolt Podolyak

Professor Zsolt Podolyak is an experimental nuclear physicist at the University of Surrey, affiliated with the School of Mathematics and Physics. He serves as School PGT Director and Programme Leader for the MSc Nuclear Science and Applications.

• 1992 MSc from Babes-Bolyai University, Romania
• 1995 PhD from Kossuth Lajos University (ATOMKI), Hungary
• 2009 MBA from Open University, UK

His research spans nuclear structure (heavy neutron-rich nuclei), nuclear reactions (relativistic fragmentation), nuclear astrophysics (r-process), and hadron physics (Delta resonance studies). Key experimental work includes:

• Leading international projects at FAIR/NuSTAR, ISOLDE, RIKEN
• Developing FATIMA gamma-ray arrays and mean range bunching techniques
• Pioneering studies of quadrupole/octet collectivity in ²⁰⁶Hg and ²⁰⁸Pb regions

Recent publications focus on:

• 2025: Enhanced octupole collectivity in Gd150 and deformation in Pb208
• 2024: Broken seniority symmetry in ⁹⁵Rh and monopole-driven shell evolution
• 2023: Beta-delayed neutron emission anomalies and two-photon decay measurements

He received the largest STFC nuclear physics grant in UK history and collaborates extensively with facilities like CERN, GSI, and RIKEN.