We are seeking an enthusiastic, motivated individual who wishes to learn about radioactive waste management in the UK with a desire to help influence government policy on nuclear waste disposal. We are offering an opportunity for a 4 year, fully-funded PhD sponsored by Radioactive Waste Management Ltd and conducted within the world-leading Immobilisation Science Laboratory in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
The PhD project focuses on determining the long-term (>10,000 yrs) behaviour of nuclear waste glass within a geological disposal facility. The project will utilize ‘natural analogue experiments’, where glasses have been exposed to natural environments with conditions of relevance to radioactive waste disposal for tens to hundreds of years. A key outcome will be to compare glass alteration in these complex low temperature environments, with alteration observed in high temperature, laboratory dissolution tests. The PhD will work towards a detailed mechanistic understanding of glass durability in complex environments taking into account of how groundwater composition, adjacent mineralogy and microbiology affect the glass corrosion process. The successful applicant will work in the Immobilisation Science Laboratory at the University of Sheffield, a world-leaching centre for nuclear waste research, alongside 45 other PhD students. You will have access to the brand new £2M suite of dedicated radiation-controlled laboratory facilities and will have the opportunity to perform experiments using state-of-the-art facilities at the University and worldwide (e.g. Diamond light source, UK; PNNL, USA).
This project would suit a candidate with a 1st or 2:1 Bachelor or Masters degree in any of the following: materials science, chemistry, chemical engineering, physics, geology or related subjects. To be eligible for a studentship, you must be a U.K. citizen.
Note that the application may be closed prior to the stated date if a suitable candidate is found.
For more information, contact Dr. Clare Thorpe ([Email Address Removed]).
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