Qualification Type: | PhD |
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Location: | Loughborough |
Funding for: | UK Students |
Funding amount: | Jointly funded by the UK Research and Innovation Council and Sellafield Ltd |
Hours: | Full Time |
Placed On: | 23rd July 2024 |
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Closes: | 11th August 2024 |
Reference: | PG/MA-2/2024 |
An exciting PhD opportunity jointly funded by the UK Research and Innovation Council and Sellafield Ltd is available in the Advanced Materials Modelling Group at Loughborough University. This will involve modelling of special nuclear materials to understand better the role of gases during storage. Safe and secure long-term storage of nuclear waste is essential both for current nuclear power generation and to protect the environment for future generations and only modelling can effectively predict what will happen over the lifetime for which the waste will remain active.
In this project, atomistic simulations will be used to examine the adsorption and desorption of gases in these materials. This is an essential requirement to understand material stability over the many years that storage requires. The project will focus on extended defects and surface studies, where thermodynamic stability and transport properties, oxidation state changes and electronic properties will be investigated.
The methodology will use numerical quantum mechanics, molecular dynamics and extended time scale techniques. The project will utilise high performance computing (HPC) systems at Loughborough and nationally to investigate equilibrium and dynamic evolution of systems of atoms over a range of time and length scales. These techniques will allow direct comparison with experimental work being carried out with the special nuclear materials team at Sellafield and their experimental collaborators.
Strong numeracy and numerical methods skills and a willingness to learn programming and parallel computing techniques are essential requirements for this project. The candidate will be required to attend seminars and other internal events regularly.
The PhD student will be supported through joint weekly research team meetings and quarterly meetings with industrial partners. The student can expect high level training on technical and industry relevant skills such as report writing, time and project management and presenting at national/international conferences. This will involve travel nationally and internationally. The studentship involves a 12 week placement at Sellafield, which can be broken down into smaller blocks to suit the project needs and individual circumstances.
The supervisory team have successfully supervised joint PhD students, now working in industry and international labs such Los Alamos National Lab in USA. We actively encourage applicants who identify as women, disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic and LGBTQ+ as well as mature candidates who can bring their experiences and voices to the studentship.
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