Post-doctoral Research and Operations Scientists

Job Introduction

One of the key long term missions at the Sellafield site is to ensure safe and secure storage of special nuclear materials over such extended time periods. The National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) needs scientists from various disciplines to demonstrate how these materials behave under various conditions and to advise how they should be handled, stored and monitored.

NNL wishes to recruit two Post-Doctoral level scientists for a fixed term of two years to support studies on the behaviour of special nuclear materials during treatment and storage.

Role Responsibility

The role will provide you with a unique opportunity to develop a holistic understanding of the science that underpins the safe storage of special nuclear materials. You will work closely with one of our major customers, Sellafield Ltd. It is expected that a significant portion of your time will be spent embedded in Sellafield Ltd Special Nuclear Materials Technical Team. For the remainder of your time you will be based in NNL’s Central Laboratory, which is co-located on the Sellafield site, developing experience of the research we do to support special nuclear fuel management.

A key aspect to the role will be your ability to apply the underpinning science undertaken by NNL, UK Universities, the supply chain and from international experience. You will work with a multidisciplinary team of scientists, engineers, safety case specialists and plant operators. We will look to you to understand problems and draw on your technical skills and knowledge to provide robust technical arguments that support your colleagues and identify effective solutions.

You will be given the opportunity to undertake a significant amount of training and development to aid both your behavioural and your technical skills, with considerable flexibility on the nature of your own technical development programme. It is expected that the training and experience gained during this fixed term will provide you with distinctive skills for a bright future in a technical role in the nuclear industry.

The Ideal Candidate

Naturally curious, you’ll have the drive and determination to discover more – about yourself and our business. Forward-thinking, proactive and positive, you’ll bring your own energy to the team and you’ll have an enquiring mind that helps us identify and implement solutions to some of the biggest challenges in the UK nuclear field.

You will bring relevant expertise to the role but will also have opportunities to develop your own capabilities. You will have completed or be nearing completion of a PhD in a relevant area (materials science, metallurgy/corrosion, physical chemistry, radiation science, surface science, catalysis and other related areas), but not necessarily in the nuclear field. However, many of the challenges you will work on are unique and therefore most important is the curiosity to learn and the ability to apply your knowledge to practical applications.

Due to the nature of our work we can only accept applications from those who have held UK residency for the last 10 years.

About the Company

We play a key role in the UK and global nuclear industry. That means reducing the cost of clean-up and decommissioning, maintaining critical skills and attracting talented new people to the industry. We're the only UK organisation with the skills, facilities and expertise to provide technical support to all aspects of the nuclear industry. What's more, we pride ourselves on offering quality, value and service to every one of our customers.

National Nuclear Laboratory