Prof. Dr. Houria Salah | Best Researcher Award
Dr. Salah Houria is a distinguished nuclear physicist and Directeur de recherches at the Centre de Recherche Nucléaire d’Alger (CRNA), under the Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique (COMENA), Algeria. With decades of experience in nuclear physics, materials science, and radiation technologies, he has made significant contributions to nuclear reaction studies, radiation effects in materials, and the design of polarized neutron spectrometers. His scientific work, which combines both experimental and theoretical approaches, bridges fundamental physics with practical applications, positioning him as one of the leading figures in Algerian nuclear research. Over the years, he has authored numerous articles in high-impact international journals, establishing his reputation within the global scientific community.
Author Profile
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Introduction
Dr. Salah Houria is a distinguished nuclear physicist and Directeur de recherches at the Centre de Recherche Nucléaire d’Alger (CRNA), under the Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique (COMENA), Algeria. With decades of experience in nuclear physics, materials science, and radiation technologies, he has made significant contributions to nuclear reaction studies, radiation effects in materials, and the design of polarized neutron spectrometers. His scientific work, which combines both experimental and theoretical approaches, bridges fundamental physics with practical applications, positioning him as one of the leading figures in Algerian nuclear research. Over the years, he has authored numerous articles in high-impact international journals, establishing his reputation within the global scientific community.
Education
Dr. Houria began his academic career with an engineering degree in electronics, during which he contributed to the design and realization of reactions chambers. He then pursued a Magister in nuclear engineering, further developing his expertise in nuclear instrumentation and technology. His commitment to advanced scientific research led him to obtain a Doctorate of State in Physics from the Centre de Recherche Nucléaire d’Alger in 2003, where he specialized in experimental nuclear physics with a focus on nuclear reaction cross-section measurements. This combination of training in electronics, nuclear engineering, and nuclear physics has given him a unique interdisciplinary foundation that has guided his research throughout his career.
Research Interests
The scientific contributions of Dr. Houria cover a wide spectrum of themes within nuclear science and materials research. His work on nuclear reactions cross sections is particularly significant, where he has reported unexpected enhancements and reductions in both nuclear reaction and elastic scattering cross sections at MeV energies. In the area of ions-matter interactions, his studies on atomic and molecular stopping power, nonlinear effects, and elastic scattering resonances have opened new perspectives, especially his pioneering observations of vicinage effects and the Coulomb explosion of hydrogen molecular ions. He has also devoted extensive research to understanding radiation effects in materials, investigating how irradiated materials behave in extreme conditions and how porous structures can be controlled for industrial applications. His results in this area show that irradiated graphite can exhibit configurations typical of percolating composite materials, leading to nonlinear susceptibilities and new physical phenomena. In addition, his work extends to the development of ion beam analytical techniques such as Elastic Backscattering, Elastic Recoil Detection, Nuclear Reaction Analysis, Proton Induced Gamma-ray Emission, and Particle-Induced X-ray Emission. Another important dimension of his research has focused on the design and characterization of polarized neutron spectrometers and on the study of advanced functional materials, including metamaterials and resonators for high-frequency applications.
Academic Positions
Dr. Houria has held several important academic and professional roles throughout his career. As Directeur de recherches at the Centre de Recherche Nucléaire d’Alger, he has overseen numerous national and international projects in nuclear physics and materials science. From 2013 to 2025, he served as President of the Scientific Council of the Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique, where he played a central role in shaping research directions, promoting scientific collaborations, and guiding the institutional research agenda. He has also acted as a mentor to many younger researchers, fostering the development of the next generation of nuclear physicists in Algeria. His leadership has strengthened the research capacity of CRNA and consolidated its position as a hub of innovation in nuclear science.
Selected Publications
Observation of screening and anti-screening in 12C(d,p)13C and 12C(d,d)12C reactions at MeV energy, Nuclear Physics A, 2025.
Growth mechanism and field emission of B-doped AlN films, Materials Science and Engineering B, 2024.
Investigating magnetic proximity effects in PdCo using polarized neutron and X-ray reflectometry, Indian Journal of Physics, 2024.
Graphite based metamaterial for high frequency applications, Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials, 2022.
Non Rutherford elastic scattering to measure energy loss of H2 ions in aluminium, Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B, 2019.
Indium hexagonal island as seed-layer to boost a-axis orientation of AlN thin films, Superlattices and Microstructures, 2018.
Modélisation et Caractérisation Monte Carlo d’une cible poreuse en graphite, CNPA Conference Proceedings, 2018.
Conclusion
In summary, Dr. Salah Houria is an accomplished researcher whose career reflects a rare balance between fundamental scientific inquiry and technological innovation. His pioneering work in nuclear reactions, ion-matter interactions, and radiation effects has deepened the understanding of nuclear processes while simultaneously offering new directions for materials applications. His contributions to ion beam techniques and polarized neutron spectrometry have further enriched the toolkit available to modern nuclear science. Through his leadership at CRNA and his service at COMENA, he has shaped the trajectory of Algerian nuclear research, promoted collaboration, and inspired younger generations of physicists. His scholarly record, combined with his institutional leadership, makes him a key figure in advancing nuclear science both regionally and internationally.