PUBLISHED PAPERS / POSTERS / ORALS

• F. Schoofs, M. Hontoir, E. Ryan, V. Drigo & D. A. Homfray, Illuminating the Future: Space-Based Solar Power As a Cornerstone in the New Space Economy - JBIS (2023), 76, pp. 401-404

• Homfray, D. A., Hale, T., Mills, P., Schoofs, F., Soorghali, H., Tyczyński, A., & Curtis-Rouse, M. - A UK Roadmap for the Development of Nuclear Power in Space. In Proceedings of the International Astronautical Congress, IAC (Vol. 2022).

• S. Moradi, ......., D. Homfray, ......., et al.  - Global scaling of the heat transport in fusion plasmas - Physical Review Research 2.1 (2020): 013027.

• K.Flinders, R.Bamber, H.Lewtas, D.Hancock, D.Homfray, J.Kamalu, T.Barrett - Characterising the impact of castellations on the efficiency of induction heating during testing in the HIVE facility - Fusion Engineering and Design: Volume 146, Part B, (2019), Pages 2040-2044

• P Ström, ......., D. Homfray, ......., et al.  - Analysis of deposited layers with deuterium and impurity elements on samples from the divertor of JET with ITER-like wall - Journal of Nuclear Materials 516 (2019): 202-213.

• David Hancock, David Homfray, Michael Porton, Iain Todd, Brad Wynne - Refractory metals as structural materials for fusion high heat flux components,  - Journal of Nuclear Materials, Volume 512, 15 December 2018, Pages 169-183

• A Baron-Wiechec, ......., D. Homfray, ......., et al.  - Thermal desorption spectrometry of beryllium plasma facing tiles exposed in the JET tokamak - Fusion engineering and design 133 (2018): 135-141.

• B Colling, ......., D. Homfray, ......., et al.  - Testing of tritium breeder blanket activation foil spectrometer during JET operations - Fusion engineering and design 136 (2018): 258-264

• David Hancock, David Homfray, Michael Porton, Iain Todd, Brad Wynne - Exploring complex high heat flux geometries for fusion applications enabled by additive manufacturing,  - Fusion Engineering and Design, Volume 136, Part A, November 2018, Pages 454-460

• D. A. Homfray,  D. L. Keeling, J. Morris - TOKNEP (Tokamak based Nuclear Electric Propulsion) – Tokamak and Plasma Overview - Proceedings of the 16th Reinventing Space Conference - RISpace16, London, UK, 30th October -1st November, 2018

• DI Réfy, ......., D. Homfray, ......., et al.  - Sub-millisecond electron density profile measurement at the JET tokamak with the fast lithium beam emission spectroscopy system - Review of Scientific Instruments 89.4 (2018): 043509

• AV Krasilnikov, ......., D. Homfray, ......., et al.  - Evidence of 9Be+ p nuclear reactions during 2ω CH and hydrogen minority ICRH in JET-ILW hydrogen and deuterium plasmas - Nuclear Fusion 58.2 (2018): 026033

• S Masuzaki, ......., D. Homfray, ......., et al.  - Analyses of microstructure, composition and retention of hydrogen isotopes in divertor tiles of JET with the ITER-like wall - Physica Scripta 2017.T170 (2017): 014031

• YO Kazakov, ......., D. Homfray, ......., et al.  - Efficient generation of energetic ions in multi-ion plasmas by radio-frequency heating - Nature Physics 13.10 (2017): 973-978.

• X. Litaudon, ......., D. Homfray, ......., et al.  - Overview of the JET results in support to ITER, - Nuclear Fusion, 57, 2017, p.102001

• D. A. Homfray,  M. Gorley, C. Harrington, A. Hollingsworth, T. H. Matos de Carvalho and J. Morris - Technology Roadmap for a Magnetically Confined Fusion Powered Spacecraft (Paper)(Oral) - Proceedings of the 14th Reinventing Space Conference - RISpace14, London, UK, 24th -27th October, 2016 - Journal of the British Interplanetary Society: Volume 70, No 9, September 2017, Pages 319 - 336

• Romanelli, F. and JET EFDA Contributors - Overview of the JET results with the ITER-like wall.  - Nuclear Fusion, 53(10), 2013, p.104002.

• D. A. Homfray,  K. Deakin, S. Khilar, R. King, D. Payne, M. R. Simmonds, C. Tame and B. Whitehead - Development of Multi-Platform Control and Instrumentation Communications to Increase Operational Reliability – Application to MAST, - Fusion Engineering and Design: Volume 88, Issues 6–8, October 2013, Pages 1219-1223 - Proceedings of the 27th Symposium of Fusion Technology - SOFT 27, Liege, Belgium, 24th -28th September, 2012

• D. A. Homfray,  A Benn, D Ciric, I. Day, V Dunkley, D Keeling, S Khilar, D King, R King,  U Kurutz, D Payne, M Simmonds, P Stevenson, C Tame and the MAST team - Real Time Neutral Beam Power Control on MAST, - Fusion Engineering and Design: Volume 86 (2011), Pages 780–784 - Proceedings of the 26th Symposium of Fusion Technology - SOFT 26, Porto, Portugal, 27th September - 1st October, 2010

• D. Ćirić, A.D. Ash, B. Crowley, I.E. Day, S.J. Gee, L.J. Hackett, D.A. Homfray, I. Jenkins, T.T.C. Jones, D. Keeling, D.B. King, R.F. King, M. Kovari, R. McAdams, E. Surrey, D. Young, J. Zacks and JET EFDA Contributors - Performance of upgraded JET neutral beam injectors , - Proceedings of the 26th Symposium of Fusion Technology - SOFT 26, Porto, Portugal, 27th September - 1st October, 2010

• D. A. Homfray, D. Ciric, V. Dunkley, R. King, D. Payne, M. R. Simmonds, B. Stevens, P. Stevenson, C. Tame, S. E. V. Warder, A. M. Whitehead, D. Young - Overview of Mast Neutral Beam System Performance, - Proceedings of the 23rd Symposium of Fusion Engineering - SOFE 23, San Diego, California, June 1-5, 2009 

• Romanelli, F., & Kamendje, R. on behalf of JET-EFDA Contributors - Overview of JET results,  - Nucl. Fusion 49(10) (2009) 104006 

• Combs, S. K.; Caughman, J. B. O.; Baylor, L. R.; Rasmussen, D. A.; Geraud, A.; Homfray, D.  - Microwave Cavities for Pellet Mass Detection on JET,  - American Physical Society, 49th Annual Meeting of the Division of Plasma Physics, November 12-16, 2007

•  D. Homfray and B. Crowley - A Novel System for the Direct Measurement of the Electron Energy Distribution Function by Langmuir Probe in Ion Sources, - Fusion Engineering and Design: Volume 82, Issues 5-14, October 2007, Pages 829–835 - Proceedings of the 24th Symposium of Fusion Technology - SOFT 24

• B. Crowley, D. Homfray, U. Fantz, D. Boilson and R. S. Hemsworth  - Electron Energy Distribution Function Measurements by Langmuir Probe in ITER like Negative Ion Sources,  - Proceedings of the American Institute Physics Conference (2007) Volume 925, pp. 193-207

• E. Surrey, A.J.T. Holmes, D.C. Faircloth, N. Marks, S.A. Griffiths, D. Homfray - A Beam Raster Scanning Device for IFMIF, - TW5-TTMI-001 EFDA Report, 2006.

•  B. Crowley , D. Homfray, S.J. Cox, D. Boilson, H.P.L de Esch and R.S. Hemsworth - Measurement of the Electron Energy Distribution Function by Langmuir Probe in an ITER-like Hydrogen Negative Ion Source, - Nucl. Fusion 46 (2006) 1-6

• A Geraud, M.Dentan, A.Whitehead, P.Butcher, P.Carman, D.Communal, F.Faisse, J.Gedney, G.Gros, D.Guillaume, L.Hackett, D.Homfray, R.Lucock and J.McKivitt - The JET High Frequency Pellet Injector Project, - Special Issue - SOFT-24 (Proceedings of the 24th Symposium on Fusion Technology), Warsaw, Poland, 11th September 2006

•  R S Hemsworth, B Crowley, D Homfray, D Boilson, L Svensson, H P L de Esch, and A Krylov - Characterisation of the ITER model negative ion source during long pulse operation, - 11th International Conference on Ion Sources (ICIS05) Caen, France, September 2005

• S.J. Gee, R. Baldwin, A. Borthwick, D. Ciric, G. Crawford, L. Hackett, D. Homfray, D. Martin, J. Milnes, T. Mutters, M. Simmonds, R. Smith, R. Stephen, P. Stevenson, E. Surrey, C. Waldon, S. Warder, A. Whitehead and D. Young - MAST neutral beam long pulse upgrade, - Fusion Engineering and Design: Volume 74, Issues 1-4, November 2005, Pages 403-407 - Proceedings of the 23rd Symposium of Fusion Technology - SOFT 23

• Dragoslav Ciric, Clive Challis, Stephen Cox, Lee Hackett, David Homfray, David Keeling, Robert King, Ian Jenkins, Timothy Jones, Elizabeth Surrey, Adrian Whitehead and David Young - Operational Experience with Upgraded JET Neutral Beam Injection Systems, - SOFT - 23rd Symposium on Fusion Technology, Venice (Italy), 20th September 2004

• E. Surrey, D. Ciric, S.J. Cox, L. Hackett, D. Homfray, I. Jenkins, T.T. C. Jones, D. Keeling, R. King, A. Whitehead and D. Young - Neutral Beam Injection in the JET Trace Tritium Experiment, - TRITIUM - 7th Tritium Science and Technology, Baden Baden - Germany, 12th September 2004

• Andrews TJ, Schluppeck D, Homfray D, Matthews P and Blakemore C, - Activity in the fusiform gyrus predicts conscious perception of Rubin's vase-face illusion, - Neuroimage 17: 890-901 (2002).

• Alecci M, Homfray D A and Jezzard P, - RF Field Mapping of a High Field (3T) Birdcage Coil, - Proceedings of the International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine Meeting, Philadelphia, 7, 2060, (1999)

OTHER PUBLISHED WORK

From ‘janitor’ to JET engineer: David’s inspirational career in science | 19/10/2017

There's no ‘normal' route to a successful career in science – just ask CCFE's David Homfray.

David has just been appointed a Fellow of the Institute of Physics (IOP) – the highest level of IOP membership. He's an Engineer in Charge at JET, which means he gets to be at the controls of the world's most powerful fusion experiment. And he's a specialist in the heating of fusion plasmas to over ten times the core of the Sun.

But his career didn't start out so promisingly. “I wasn't an A-grade student and was pretty rubbish at exams,” he recalls. “To be honest, I didn't know what I wanted to be and just floated through my education. However, I had two teachers who encouraged me, and a scientist visited my school and gave the most amazing lecture about JET, which got me hooked. I was also always able to visualise and build things, so that helped. 

“The other push for me was that, both at school and university, my careers advisors said I was probably never going to make it in science. I've never been one for being told my own limitations and that really provided a springboard for me.”

After a degree in engineering physics, David started his career as a technician at the University of Oxford in magnetic resonance brain imaging.

“I was what could only be described as a ‘physics janitor' – one day building magnetic coils for a sensitive instrument and the next day building a shed,” he explains. “It taught me how to perform experiments, how to build things, how to report on findings, freedom and how to learn.”

Then it was on to Culham, where David took on a challenge close to his heart:

“For me, one of the important questions is how our species can expand in a finite world with finite resources without messing up our lovely little blue planet. I decided I wanted to work in energy research. If we could copy the fusion process of the Sun, we would have almost unfathomable energy. I like to say that my day job is to save the world!”

He's been working his way up since joining in 2002 as a neutral beam physicist, and firmly believes that professional development has been key to his success.

“Becoming a Chartered Physicist and then a Chartered Engineer made me look at my competencies and responsibilities to find areas where I can grow, and this has benefited my career even before getting some nice letters after my name. For example, it helped me to become an Engineer in Charge at JET. It was a pretty surreal moment for me to get this position, as it was the same one as that visiting scientist had all those years ago when he talked at my school about this incredible project.

“My employers have given me the opportunities and freedom to express myself and to find the areas where I could develop. It has helped that I have had some pretty cool stuff to work on.”

“At the start of this year I became Head of CCFE's Engineering Realisation Section, where we are looking at how we exploit new technologies, science, engineering and materials to design the first demonstration fusion reactor. Amazing to think I started out changing light bulbs in the downstairs toilet at the University of Oxford and ended up working with such talented teams as Neutral Beam and Engineering Realisation here at Culham.”

Being awarded an IOP Fellowship is his proudest achievement, and David was invited to talk to students about his career path from technician to Fellow at the IOP's careers fair in Belfast on 6 October.

“It was a ‘warts and all' account of my journey, to show there are lots of pathways you can take. Working in science has to be one of the greatest careers and means you can make a difference. If you're passionate, and if you get organised and work hard you can do it.”