UK expands nuclear research capabilities

Sellafield, where decommissioning could take 50 years. Image courtesy British Nuclear Group.

The money will provide specialist research equipment and facilities and drive forward research into radiation sciences and nuclear decommissioning. The new laboratory will include accelerators and equipment for studying irradiation damage and effects on materials and chemical systems used in nuclear environments, as well as computational modelling and simulation tools.

The centre, which will initially house around 60 staff and postgraduate students, will be built on the Westlakes Science and Technology Park, near Whitehaven in West Cumbria. It will have close links with the existing British Technology Centre (BTC) at Sellafield, and will form part of the recently announced UK National Nuclear Laboratory.

As part of the deal, the university will recruit new academic staff and will work to extend access into the BTC for academic researchers from other universities.

Head of the Laboratory, Simon Pimblott, said the aim is to build world-leading research capabilities in the fields of radiation chemistry and radiation damage on materials. “The scale of the investment is a major indication of both parties’ commitment to establish one of the world’s leading research groups in the field. This is what has personally attracted me to the UK from the United States, together with the bigger vision for building nuclear research and education at the Dalton Nuclear Institute.”

The director of the Dalton Nuclear Institute, Richard Clegg, said the collaboration is an important development in moves to make the university into one of the most prestigious nuclear research and education centres, and will act as a magnet for attracting leading scientists and researchers. “The investment is a significant step towards coordinating the UK’s nuclear research base as part of the creation of a National Nuclear Laboratory.”