PhD Studentship - Understanding Irradiation and Fission Product Interaction in Nuclear Graphite using Advanced Microscopy

Research theme: Nuclear Engineering, Material Science

How to apply: uom.link/pgr-apply-2425

This 3.5-year PhD project is fully funded; students who are eligible to pay tuition fees at the Home rate are eligible to apply (more details can be found here). The successful candidate will receive an annual tax-free stipend set at the UKRI rate (£21,805 for 2026/27) and tuition fees will be paid. We expect the stipend to increase each year. The start date is October 2026.

We recommend that you apply early as the advert may be removed before the deadline.

The University of Manchester invites applications for a fully funded PhD position focused on understanding the irradiation behaviour of nuclear graphite material under extreme conditions to ensure the safety of next-generation reactors.

Nuclear graphite is a critical material in advanced and next-generation reactor systems, yet its behaviour under irradiation, particularly at high fluxes and in the presence of fission products at high temperatures, remains poorly understood. This PhD project will explore how radiation damage evolves in graphite and how fission products interact with the microstructure of various proposed nuclear-grade graphite materials. The work combines cutting-edge microscopy, in-situ ion irradiation, in-situ annealing, and mechanical properties analysis to provide new insights into the fundamental mechanisms governing graphite behaviour in nuclear environments.

Data produced as part of this PhD will provide essential guidance to nuclear licensees, stakeholders, and regulators to underpin future safety requirements and the qualification of these materials, as well as to graphite manufacturers to improve these materials and ensure the prolonged safety of proposed reactors.

The successful candidate will:

• Design experiments: Study radiation-induced changes in graphite using the ion irradiation technique at the state-of-the-art DCF and MIAMI facility, observing defect evolution in real time.
• Develop techniques: Innovate new microstructure characterisation methods for irradiated graphite analyses using advanced microscopy techniques.
• Collaboration: Join a thriving Nuclear Graphite Research Group (NGRG) comprising full-time students, researchers and academics, as well as work closely with leading experts in materials science, nuclear engineering and advanced microscopy within the University of Manchester community

What this opportunity offers:

• Be part of a new EPSRC-funded research programme shaping the future of nuclear materials.
• Access state-of-the-art laboratories and facilities.
• Work on a high-impact, internationally relevant problem linked to clean energy and net-zero goals.
• Opportunity to publish in leading journals such as Carbon and Journal of Nuclear Materials, as well as showcase findings in international conferences such as INGSM and NUMAT.

Applicants should have, or expect to achieve, at least a 2.1 honours degree or a master’s (or international equivalent) in a relevant science or engineering related discipline.

To apply please contact Dr Emily Aradi at emily.aradi@manchester.ac.uk. Please include details of your current level of study, academic background and any relevant experience and include a paragraph about your motivation to study this PhD project.