Adoption of Novel Technologies for Nuclear Decommissioning

Social Anthropology at the University of is offering one fully-funded ESRC CASE PhD studentship in partnership with the Dalton Nuclear Research Institute, the National Nuclear Laboratory and Sellafield Ltd. The funding includes payment of tuition fees as well as a doctoral stipend at the UK Research Council’s required level of £14,553 per annum, plus an additional stipend of £2000 per annum. The studentship is available to outstanding candidates wishing to commence their doctoral studies in September 2017.

The Ph.D. project offers an exciting and unusual opportunity to conduct an ethnographic study of the social and cultural processes of technological innovation in the context of the decommissioning of the Sellafield nuclear site in West Cumbria. The study will focus on how technology development and implementation happens currently in the highly regulated and potentially hazardous nuclear industry, and how a deeper understanding of these processes might help to avoid problems encountered in the past, and build on and strengthen processes that work for the future. The potential introduction of new robotics technologies will provide one key focus for the study. This student will be based within the Engineering Design Academic Hub (EDAH) adjacent to the Sellafield site in West Cumbria for at least half the research period. The student will benefit from industrial as well as academic supervision and will interact on a daily basis with engineers and scientists working within the EDAH facility. The student will also have the opportunity to access the Sellafield site (subject to security clearance) and work with staff who are directly engaged with decommissioning activities on a nuclear licensed site.

Studentship Details:
The successful candidate will be supervised by Professor Penny Harvey (Anthropology) and Professor Barry Lennox (Electrical and Electronic Engineering). It is anticipated that the studentship will be for direct entry onto the three year (+3) PhD programme in September 2017.

Entry Requirements:
Applicants must hold a Bachelors First Class or Upper Second Class Honours UK degree in a relevant social science discipline, which should generally be in Anthropology, Sociology or Science and Technology Studies, although other disciplines will be considered. Candidates must also have (or expect to gain before the start of the programme in September 2017) a UK Masters degree (or overseas equivalent) recognised as a research training masters by the ESRC. They should be qualified at minimum Merit level, with a coursework/examination average of 60% or more. You must satisfy ESRC UK residential criteria to qualify for this studentship (information here: http://www.esrc.ac.uk/skills-and-careers/studentships/prospective-students/am-i-eligible-for-an-esrc-studentship)

Enquiries and requests for further particulars of this position should be directed to [Email Address Removed]

To apply, please send your CV, a supporting letter detailing how your education, training, experience and interests prepare you for this studentship, the names of two referees and evidence of undergraduate/postgraduate final grades to Vicky Barnes: [Email Address Removed]

For further particulars of this studentship please contact Professor Harvey: [Email Address Removed]