The main research directions are:

• Experimental dosimetry a microdosimetry
• Radiation biophysics
• Radioecology and radiocarbon dating

The radiation quality is commonly characterized through the physical quantity linear energy transfer (LET). LET depends on the type and energy of the particle depositing its energy at a point of interest. Determination of radiation quality requires quantifying the whole spectra of LET, particularly for complex radiation fields studied in our department, like onboard aircraft and spacecraft (mainly International Space Station - ISS), high-energy ion therapy beams, and in high-energy charged particle accelerator environment. To improve the LET spectrometry methodology, studies in high-energy heavy charged particle beams are performed at heavy ion accelerators (HIMAC at NIRS, Chiba, Japan; CERN at Geneve, Switzerland; and others).      

Biological effects of the ionizing radiation depend both on the radiation quantity (absorbed dose) and the radiation quality (space and time distributions at the microscopic level). The main topic of fundamental radiobiological research represents radiation induced damage of biomolecules. The development of theoretical techniques for predictions of direct and indirect radiation attack to DNA, proteins and their complexes belongs to a long term activity of the department.      

Long-term studies of anthropogenic influences in the environment are focused on determination of some radionuclides with semiartificial/artificial origin, particularly ¹⁴C. In the last century nuclear weapon tests were important sources of anthropogenic ¹⁴C. After the nuclear moratorium on the atmospheric nuclear bomb tests, the ¹⁴C concentration in the atmosphere has been decreasing due to an intensive transfer into oceanic and terrestrial carbon sinks. Actual type of the anthropogenic influence on activity of atmospheric ¹⁴CO₂ is characterized by the Suess effect, which can be observed on local, regional, and global scale. This effect causes a decrease of ¹⁴CO₂ activity as a result of diluting by CO₂ released from fossil fuel combustion. Monitoring of atmospheric ¹⁴CO₂ in several localities, and comparison with results abroad, provides a tool to quantify fossil carbon occurrence from local and regional sources, estimate actual amount of ¹⁴CO₂ in the atmosphere (as a tracer of atmospheric CO₂), and also specify actual ¹⁴C activity level more precisely.