Research Fellow (Synergistic Radiation Effects in Austenitic Stainless Steels with Mechanical Loading)

Salary: Full time starting salary is normally in the range £35,880 to £45,163 with potential progression once in post to £47,874. Grade: 7

Contract Type: Fixed Term contract up to July 2027

This is a 2.5-year post as part of the UKAEA Joint Chair position in Materials for Fusion, held by Prof. Enrique Jimenez-Melero at the School of Metallurgy and Materials of the University of Birmingham, and in support of the ongoing fusion steel research activities at the Materials Business Unit of the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA).

We are looking for a Research Fellow who is passionate about nuclear fusion technology, materials science and hands-on experimental work, with a clear drive to make an impact in characterising and testing austenitic stainless steels (ASSs) for fusion reactor technologies. ASSs have been used in core reactor and primary loop components for decades in the nuclear industry, and they are currently considered as viable solutions for potential use in the divertor, blanket and vacuum vessel of nuclear fusion plants.

You will have the opportunity to design and perform ion irradiation experiments, benchmarking with ongoing neutron irradiation campaigns where relevant and depending on material availability, and thereupon characterize and mechanical test selected fusion-relevant ASS grades and microstructures. You will be using scanning & transmission electron microscopy for local microstructural and chemical evaluation, and potentially also small-angle scattering for average characteristics of the second phase particle population.

Role Summary

• Work within specified research grant: UKAEA Chair project in Birmingham, led by Prof. Enrique Jimenez-Melero, in support of the steel research activities at the Materials Business Unit of the UK Atomic Energy Authority 

Main Duties

The responsibilities may include some but not all of the responsibilities outlined below.

• Design and perform targeted irradiation experiments of fusion-relevant austenitic stainless steels using intense ion beams produced by linear accelerator and cyclotron sources 
• Measure by gamma spectroscopy, the isotope generation by nuclear reactions between the ion beam and the constituents of the austenitic steel, and predict potential sample activations
• Characterize by analytical electron microscopy, and if needed also by small-angle neutron scattering, and mechanical testing of virgin and irradiated steels, including those that may have become radio-active as a consequence of ion irradiation
• Liaise with other facilities and groups at national and international level involved in (ion or neutron) irradiation campaigns of nuclear (metallic) materials
• Disseminate the results at progress meetings of the Materials Business Unit at UKAEA and at relevant scientific events, and also in the form of scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals of high impact in the field
• Contribute to writing bids for research funding

Person Specification

• First degree in area of specialism and normally, a higher degree relevant to the research area or equivalent qualifications (or one close to completion)
• Awareness of the basics of fusion energy generation, emerging technologies and related challenges in structural materials for fusion environments
• Knowledge of physical metallurgy of steels, including stainless steels

Informal enquiries to Prof. Enrique Jimenez-Melero e.jimenez-melero@bham.ac.uk 

To download the full job description and details of this position and submit an electronic application online please click on the 'Apply' button above.

Valuing excellence, sustaining investment
We value diversity and inclusion at the University of Birmingham and welcome applications from all sections of the community and are open to discussions around all forms of flexible working.

Closes: 26^th January 2025

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