The exposure to ionizing radiations can happen due to natural or human causes. The purpose of dosimetry is the measurement and control of the amount of radiation absorbed by a body when irradiated. Dosimetry finds application in the most varied fields: environment and public health, diagnosis and treatment facilities in hospitals (patients and clinical staff), manned and unmanned space missions, industrial facilities.

Over the last 20 years the interest in the use of protons for radiation therapy treatments has grown steadily. More recently facilities dedicated to proton therapy were created in a number of places in Europe. Protons have advantages over photons on what concerns tumor therapy, being particularly helpful for the treatment of deep-seated tumors located close to critical organs.
LIP has a long term expertise in photon and electron dosimetry. From accelerator simulation to dosimeter prototyping, the work in the field goes back more than two decades. The possibility of the installation of a proton therapy facility in Lisbon opens a window of opportunity for research in this area.

The group is divided into two thematic lines: clinical dosimetry, focusing on the use of plastic scintillators and optical fibers in the context of clinical dosimetry for particle therapy; and high-LET radiation microdosimetry, focusing on the development of radiation detectors able to measure energy deposition at sub-mm scales and on studies of radiation effects at the cell level