Material Scientist Summer Placement 2025
Be among the first 25 applicants
Company DescriptionBy 2050, the planet could be using twice as much electricity compared to today. Are you interested in contributing and helping to shape the future of the world’s energy? If so, read on.
Fusion, the process that powers the Sun and Stars, is one of the most promising options for generating the cleaner, carbon-free energy that our world badly needs.
UKAEA leads the way in realizing fusion energy, partnering with industry and research for groundbreaking advancements. Our goal is to bring fusion electricity to the grid, supported by tomorrow’s power stations. In pursuit of our mission, UKAEA embraces core values: Innovative, Committed, Trusted, and Collaborative.
Job DescriptionThe RoleAre you looking for an exciting opportunity to make a difference? Join our team and contribute to the future of fusion energy.
We offer excellent opportunities for motivated and enthusiastic undergraduate students studying at UK Universities to join our 8-12-week summer placement scheme. The scheme is designed for students entering their penultimate or final year of studies, with potential opportunities post-graduation.
Our scheme gives you a unique opportunity to contribute to the development of one of the most advanced sources of sustainable and clean energy. During your summer programme, you will experience a broad range of diverse tasks, work on real projects, and gain invaluable experience within the fusion energy sector. UKAEA offers a nurturing and supportive community for you to gain some valuable work experience in a fascinating and rapidly evolving industry.
OverviewProject Title: Microstructural effects on irradiation creep behaviour in advanced fusion steels
The operating temperatures and component lifetime for the breeder blankets are currently very limited by the performance of the current generation of structural steels. Understanding the creep properties of these steels at high temperatures, above 550 °C, is essential for the optimisation of the microstructure of advanced fusion steel.
Radiation damage leads to accelerated creep deformation in steels due to the increased concentration of mobile defects which are free to move through the material under stress.
Accelerated creep testing in ion-irradiation environments requires the use of novel experimental techniques to enable the penetration of ions through thin specimens. In-situ irradiation creep testing of a selection of alloys from the UKAEA steels development programme will take place in 2025, alongside a range of unirradiated creep tests. High resolution digital image correlation (DIC) of the samples during testing will provide insight into the mechanisms behind creep deformation at a range of temperatures. This method provides insight into the mechanisms of creep by imaging sample deformation in situ at the nanoscale.
Key objectives of this summer placement are:
- Perform microstructural characterisation (high quality SEM/EBSD) analysis of ODS and ARAFM samples prepared for novel in-situ irradiation creep experiments.
- Assist with pre-strained creep testing and in-situ ion-irradiation creep testing of RAFM and ODS alloys.
- Contribute to data analysis from mechanical testing to contribute to the current understanding of creep mechanisms in advanced fusion steels.
- Integrate diffusion modelling of self-interstitial ions into radiation damage model for application in ion-irradiation planning.
- Engage with ongoing characterisation of irradiated ODS and ARAFM steels using advanced techniques such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and other experimental projects within the Materials Division Steels development team.
The proposed project will support Materials Division steels development NEURONE programme (advanced RAFM steel manufacturing and development consortium) and the development of UK ODS steels.
The student will gain an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the microstructures of RAFM and ODS steels as well as the mechanical properties they require to perform in a fusion environment.
The project will provide them with the opportunity to develop their communication skills by giving presentations and conferring with both the steels development team and external collaborators.
QualificationsEssential Requirements:To be considered you will need to be working towards a relevant degree and will be required to have the right to work in the UK.
Additional InformationA full list of our benefits can be found here UKAEA Employee Benefits.
UKAEA’s mission is clean energy for all, and we welcome talented people from all backgrounds who want to help us achieve our mission. We are under-represented from some groups and so want to encourage applications in particular from women in STEM, people from Black British Caribbean and African backgrounds and from Pakistani and Bangladeshi British backgrounds. Our Executive team, supported by our ‘Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion’ (EDI) and Wellbeing and our EDI Networks actively promote Inclusion and take steps to increase diversity within our organization. We reinforce best practices in recruitment and selection and evaluate approaches to remove barriers to success.
UK Atomic Energy Authority is committed to being accessible. Please email talent@ukaea.uk if you have any questions or require help or adjustments to compete on a fair basis, for example, changes to the way we interview or share information.
Please note that vacancies are generally advertised for 4 weeks but may close earlier if we receive a large number of applications.
Seniority level
- Entry level
Employment type
- Full-time
Job function
- Science
- Research
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