This exciting project will directly support the UK nuclear industry by addressing the management and immobilisation of some of its challenging wastes and by-products ahead of long-term disposal.

The UK faces a multi-decade challenge in managing legacy nuclear waste, particularly at sites such as Sellafield. Many waste streams remain without clearly defined treatment routes, creating technical, economic, and environmental pressures. Many of these materials are chemically diverse, physically variable, and difficult to immobilise using conventional approaches. These include spent water treatment media, ashes and residues from incineration or pyrolysis operations, and other heterogenous decommissioning products, which all fall into the category of challenging wastes. By developing robust and scalable wasteform materials, this research will support safer storage, reduced waste volumes, and more efficient decommissioning strategies. Throughout this project you will be working as part of a larger research group, many of which are addressing similar challenges for the nuclear industry and the appropriate treatment of decommissioning related wastes.

The project will focus on thermal treatment solutions to immobilise these challenging wastes, and the characterisation of the resulting wasteforms, benchmarking them against standard requirements and delivering these findings to industrial stakeholders. This will require you to design glass compositions to incorporate these wastes, to prepare and melt the glasses and characterise them for their key properties using the facilities within the School of Engineering and Built Environment.

Some of the core activities on this project will include:

Designing and preparing surrogate waste materials representative of challenging nuclear waste streams
Developing glass and glass–ceramic formulations tailored to variable and impure feedstocks
Investigating thermal behaviour, melt processing, and material stability
Characterising wasteforms using a range of analytical techniques (e.g. XRF, XRD, SEM, spectroscopy, thermal analysis)
Assessing chemical durability and performance under simulated disposal conditions

This project is part of a wider collaborative programme with input from UK and Japanese nuclear industry partners, including organisations directly involved in nuclear waste management. This ensures that the research remains grounded in real-world challenges and aligned with current industry needs. There will be opportunities to engage with national and international partners, attend conferences, and contribute to publications in high-impact journals.

The successful applicant will have a good degree (1^st or 2:1) or a Master’s level qualification in materials science, condensed matter physics or an appropriate equivalent qualification in a suitable related discipline. They will be a team player, with an inquisitive mindset, an excellent work ethic and a genuine desire to generate new knowledge. They will have both theoretical and practical hands-on expertise and experience. A willingness to travel to partner institutions, events and conferences is essential, as is a flexible approach to working.

Eligibility

International candidates are required to provide an IELTS certificate with a score of at least 6.5 overall, and a minimum of 6.0 in all components. For further information on English Language requirements, please click here.

For further details on entry requirements, please click here: PHD Materials Science and Engineering Full-time 2026 | Sheffield Hallam University

How to apply

All applications must be submitted using the online application form. In your application, be sure to include the title of the project that you are applying for. If you are applying for multiple projects within the same research area, please contact DoctoralSchool-Operations-PGR-Enquiries@shu.ac.uk.

As part of your application, please upload:

1. A research proposal (max. 1500 words), outlining the proposed research and the central questions; the current knowledge and context, referencing key background literature; proposed methodology or approach, if known; and the potential significance or impact of the research

2. A cover letter (max. 1 page) detailing which project you are applying for; your suitability and eligibility for the project, and your reasons for applying

3. Copy of your highest degree certificate

4. Non-UK applicants must submit IELTs results (or equivalent) taken in the last two years and a copy of their passport.

Applicants must provide 2 references, with at least one to be academic. References must be received directly from the referees.

We strongly recommend you contact the lead academic, Dr Alex Scrimshire (a.scrimshire@shu.ac.uk), to discuss your application.

Start date for studentship: February 2027

Interviews are scheduled for: TBC

For information on how to apply please visit https://www.shu.ac.uk/research/degrees

Sheffield Hallam University

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Advanced Wasteform Development for Challenging Nuclear Waste Streams