Technical Staff
Koby Dering, Queen’s University (P.Eng., Engineering & Technical Director)
Koby is a licensed Professional Engineer (2014) in Ontario, where he graduated with a B.A.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering in 2009. Based at Queen’s University, Koby is the Engineering & Technical Director, where he leads the IPDC and also supervises and mentors the MI-Queen’s engineering/technical hub. Working in close collaboration with research scientists and technical staff, Koby brings a wealth of experience in design, fabrication, and installation of custom components and infrastructure required for sensitive astroparticle detectors. Koby has delivered engineering solutions and oversight for numerous experiments – such as DEAP-3600, PICO-500, NEWS-G, CUTE, and KDK – supporting the full lifecycle from the conceptual phase through to construction and commissioning.
With over 15 years of experience, some of Koby’s primary contributions include:
- Led the design, fabrication, and installation much of the DEAP-3600 detector, including: 255 PMT mounts, nearly 500 filler blocks, stainless steel glove box, neck cooling systems and vacuum jacketed neck, detector neck support, custom vacuum jacketed cryogenic piping, and sanding robot components.
- Technical Coordinator for NEWS-G at SNOLAB, responsible for leading the engineering, transportation logistics, fabrication, and construction of the spherical copper vessel, the 30-tonne lead shield, the 15-tonne polyethylene shield, and the experiment seismic isolation platform.
- Led the engineering, fabrication, and installation of infrastructure for CUTE at SNOLAB, including the water shield tank, structural platform, overhead monorail crane, clean room, cryostat support, lead and polyethylene shields.
- Systems Engineering Lead for PICO-500, responsible for the overall engineering of the project. Engineer of Record for the 10,000 L pressure vessel, responsible for design, ASME Code and TSSA Regulatory compliance, overpressure protection, and development and coordination of the underground welding and installation. Also responsible for the Fire Hazard Analysis for the experiment, and design of the inner quartz vessel and hermetic sealing system.
Jonathan Corbett, Queen’s University (P.Eng., Deputy Manager, Intermediate Design Engineer, Engineering Physics)
Jonathan completed his B.A.Sc. (2019) and M.A.Sc. (2021) in Engineering Physics at Queen’s University, and obtained his Ontario P.Eng. in 2025. Jonathan is an Intermediate Design Engineer and Deputy Manager for the IPDC, and was the interim MI-Queen’s mechanical engineering hub manager in summer 2023. He brings expertise in systems engineering and cryogenics, and works to perform engineering calculations, design components, assist with the fabrication, assembly and testing of equipment, and give technical advice and mentorship to technical staff and students.
Some highlights from Jonathan’s contributions include:
- Leading contributor to technical design documentation for PICO-500 and SBC experiments, especially in development of process designs and process hazard analyses, overpressure protection and detector installation planning.
- External reviewer for complex process and fluid flow problems (SNOLAB cryogenic distillation column review, Darkside-20k CFD paper review).
- Leading contributor to the design and public procurement of the helium liquefier and plant at Queen’s University. Led the design of the plant layout, designed and constructed the gas return system, and led efforts to debug and commission the system.
- As a side-project, Jonathan is developing a new cryogenics course for delivery to undergraduate engineering physics students at Queen’s University in 2026.
Mackenzie Dean, Queen’s University (Engineering Designer, Mechanical)
Armin Mir, Queen’s University (Engineering Designer, Mechanical)
Nicholas Moss, Queen’s University (Engineering Designer, Mechanical)
Robert Gagnon, Queen’s University (Research Technologist, Mechanical)
Jeff Kingma, Queen’s University (Machinist)
Michael Rangen, University of Alberta (Particle Physics Electronics Technologist)
Mike is an Electronics Engineering Technologist and 4th Class Power Engineer at the University of Alberta. Mike is Deputy Manager for the IPDC, providing diverse expertise in the design, production, assembly, and testing of electronics. Some of Mike’s highlighted contributions include:
- Designed a low-radioactivity flexible PCB heating system for PICO-500, comprised of 150+ temperature sensors and 1.8km of interlaced copper heating traces. Also designed a programmable gain piezo preamplifier on a flexible PCB to fit within a custom copper enclosure and allow for acoustic measurements under varying operating conditions. PCB outlines were designed by MI-Queen’s mechanical engineering designer Mackenzie Dean.
- For PICO-500, designed backplane PCBs for the PLC control racks that enforce organization and enhance troubleshooting, while meeting the complex needs of the system.
- Led the design and production of key electrical components for P-ONE, including the preamplifier and filter PCBs for the acoustic positioning system, published in JINST (https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-0221/20/07/P07003), and the preamp PCBs for the SiPM based Muon In-Situ Tracker (MIST).