Welsh University part of £65.6 million UKRI investment to train nuclear engineers

A Welsh university will play a key role in a new £65.6 million UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Doctoral Focal Award in Nuclear Skills, helping to train specialists essential to future clean energy, national security and advanced nuclear technologies.

As part of DRIVERS (Developing Researchers with an Interdisciplinary Vision for Engineering Reactor Systems), experts from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Swansea University will train more than 80 PhD researchers over the next seven years in reactor physics, thermal hydraulics and through-life structural integrity.

Run by a consortium of leading universities — Imperial, Bangor, Bristol, Manchester and Swansea — this new doctoral training centre will equip future nuclear engineers and scientists with the advanced technical, interdisciplinary and digital skills needed to support the UK’s civil and defence nuclear programmes.

Through this approach, the centre aims to accelerate innovation in nuclear system design, improve safety and performance, and support the cost-effective development of future nuclear technologies.

From large-scale power stations to emerging small modular and advanced modular reactors, and its fleet of nuclear-powered submarines, the UK’s ambitions for energy security, net zero, and national defence all depend on a highly skilled nuclear workforce.

DRIVERS will address this need by training doctoral researchers in the integrated design and assessment of nuclear reactor systems.

The programme places strong emphasis on leadership development, digital fluency, communication skills and equality, diversity and inclusion.

It will also ensure the UK has the skilled workforce needed to sustain safe, innovative and competitive nuclear programmes for decades to come.

Professor Robert Lancaster, Chair in Materials Science at Swansea University and Co-Director of DRIVERS, said: “We are delighted that Swansea University is part of DRIVERS, a major investment in developing the next generation of nuclear talent.

“Through this programme, we will help train doctoral researchers with the technical, interdisciplinary and leadership skills needed to support the UK’s future nuclear capability in energy and defence.”

Programme Director Professor Robin Grimes added: “DRIVERS represents a major strategic national investment in the UK’s nuclear capability and will play a key role in developing the expertise required to deliver the country’s long-term civil and defence nuclear ambitions.”

You can learn more about the DRIVERS programme here.