The UK’s nuclear industry is entering a new phase. While new builds remain part of the country’s energy strategy, many nuclear facilities are now progressing through decommissioning—a long and complex process that reshapes landscapes, infrastructures, and the everyday lives of host communities. This raises critical questions: What happens to these sites and landscapes when reactors shut down? How do communities adapt when their economic and cultural identity has been tied to nuclear for generations? And how can planning and governance support fairness, long‑term stewardship, and sustainable futures?
Decommissioning is not just a technical challenge: it is a social and spatial transformation. Host communities often face economic dependency, peripheral location, and uncertainty about future land uses. Yet, little is known about how place identities evolve during decommissioning, how benefits and burdens are distributed, or how spatial and planning frameworks can support equitable regeneration. This PhD addresses these gaps.
Project Focus
You will investigate:
· How decommissioning reshapes land use, mobility, infrastructure, and spatial relationships
· How communities perceive risks, opportunities, identity change, and social value outcomes
· How planning and governance can facilitate just transitions and long‑term stewardship
· How future scenarios for reuse and revitalisation can be co‑designed with communities and stakeholders
Your findings will inform strategies and debates on place-sensitive regeneration, just transition, and nuclear legacies, contributing evidence urgently needed by local authorities, regional planners, public bodies and policymakers.
PhD Objectives
· Map and characterise post‑nuclear landscapes and spatial transformations
· Assess social value, justice outcomes, and the distribution of benefits and burdens
· Analyse planning frameworks, governance approaches, and narrative change
· Co‑produce future scenarios and a practical toolkit for reuse, revitalisation, and long‑term stewardship
What the Student will do
You will carry out a mixed‑methods research programme examining how UK nuclear sites and their communities navigate decommissioning. This will include mapping of case study landscapes to analyse land use, mobility, and environmental constraints; immersive fieldwork, interviews and focus groups with community members, local authorities and industry; and analysis of policy narratives and planning frameworks shaping transition processes. You will also design and run participatory workshops to explore future scenarios for regeneration and adaptive reuse, and translate findings into a practical toolkit and policy briefs for planning and community partners.
You will benefit from the SATURN CDT’s comprehensive training programme and its national network spanning academia, industry and government. The project provides opportunities for secondments, site visits and engagement with major nuclear organisations. You will be supported by a supervisory team with expertise in spatial planning, regeneration of peripheral places and communities, the nuclear sector, sustainable development, and just transitions. You will work within a vibrant cohort environment with access to high‑quality training in both qualitative and quantitative methods, participatory design and policy engagement.
About SATURN
This PhD is based with the SATURN Centre for Doctoral Training. SATURN is made up form a consortium of NW Universities that include Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Lancaster, Sheffield and Strathclyde. The ethos of the programme is to recruit students from across STEM and give them the necessary skills and training to become a subject matter expert in the nuclear sector in either industry or academia. You will be recruited with a cohort of other researchers all looking at nuclear focused research but from across the breadth of the sector. Your training will include an introduction to nuclear course as well as opportunities to do a deep dive in the areas that really interest you. You will also have the opportunity to broaden your experience and skills by visiting internationally relevant facilities, having an industry secondment, undertaking leadership training, and involving yourself in outreach and public engagement activities. If this sounds like the sort of opportunity that you are looking for, we would love to hear from you.
Nuclear Boot Camp (Months 1 - 3)
The Bootcamp is based at Manchester for any of our students based at a partner institutions SATURN can offer you accommodation in Manchester and cover the cost
Before you apply
We strongly recommend that you contact the supervisor(s) for this project before you apply. For informal enquiries, please contact Dr Marco Reggiani at marco.reggiani@strath.ac.uk
Who Should Apply?
This project is well‑suited to candidates from fields such as human geography, urban and regional planning, environmental planning, sociology, architecture and urban studies, and sustainability studies. It will particularly appeal to those interested in place‑based regeneration, just transitions, and the sustainable revitalisation of peripheral places. You do not need prior knowledge of the nuclear sector, just a relevant degree, enthusiasm to learn, and strong interest in sustainable futures and regeneration.
Please complete the enquiry form to express your interest: SATURN CDT - Application Form – Fill in form.
Equality, diversity and inclusion
Equality, diversity and inclusion is fundamental to the success of The University of Manchester, and is at the heart of all of our activities. We know that diversity strengthens our research community, leading to enhanced research creativity, productivity and quality, and societal and economic impact.
We actively encourage applicants from diverse career paths and backgrounds and from all sections of the community, regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation and transgender status.
We also support applications from those returning from a career break or other roles. We consider offering flexible study arrangements (including part-time: 50%, 60% or 80%, depending on the project/funder).
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