ROYCE Summer Placement Scheme 2025

By 2050, the planet could be using twice as much electricity compared to today. Are you interested in contributing and helping to shape the future of the world’s energy? If so, read on.

Fusion, the process that powers the Sun and Stars, is one of the most promising options for generating the cleaner, carbon-free energy that our world badly needs.

UKAEA leads the way in realizing fusion energy, partnering with industry and research for groundbreaking advancements. Our goal is to bring fusion electricity to the grid, supported by tomorrow's power stations. In pursuit of our mission, UKAEA embraces core values: Innovative, Committed, Trusted, and Collaborative.

The Role

Are you looking for an exciting opportunity to make a difference? Join our team and contribute to the future of fusion energy. 

We offer excellent opportunities for motivated and enthusiastic undergraduate students studying at UK Universities to join our 8-12-week summer placement scheme. The scheme is designed for students entering their penultimate or final year of studies, with potential opportunities post-graduation. 

Our scheme gives you a unique opportunity to contribute to the development of one of the most advanced sources of sustainable and clean energy. During your summer programme, you will experience a broad range of diverse tasks, work on real projects, and gain invaluable experience within the fusion energy sector. UKAEA offers a nurturing and supportive community for you to gain some valuable work experience in a fascinating and rapidly evolving industry.

Overview

Project title: Characterisation of near net shape manufactured complex ODS steels for fusion energy

The operating temperatures and component lifetime for the future tritium breeder blankets of fusion reactors will be limited by the performance of the current generation of structural steels.  

Advanced powder metallurgy based ODS steels can enable higher operating temperatures that will improve reactors efficiency. ODS steels have high number density of thermally stable yttria based oxide particles which inhibit dislocation motion for improved high temperature strength and creep and can significantly improve irradiation damage resistance by trapping transmutant helium and acting as free surfaces for recombination of neutron irradiation induced defects.

UKAEA Materials Division in collaboration with industrial partners will produce fusion grade ODS powder that will be followed by complex shape hot isostatic pressing to receive near net shape ODS steel (Royce ICP grant). By summer 2025 the UKAEA will receive samples for in-depth investigations. This will be an important step for the UKAEA ODS R&D programme.

Key objectives of this summer placement will be: i) establish optimal sample preparation routine for high-quality microscopy, hardness testing and density measurements of the alloys and preform the analyses ii) contribute and learn form to the ongoing UKAEA advanced craterisation of the ODS steels, ion irradiations and other experimental projects run by the Materials Division.

• To be considered you will need to be working towards a relevant degree and will be required to have the right to work in the UK. 

A full list of our benefits can be found here https://careers.ukaea.uk/life-at-ukaea/employee-benefits/

UKAEA's mission is clean energy for all, and we welcome talented people from all backgrounds who want to help us achieve our mission.  We are under-represented from some groups and so want to encourage applications in particular from women in STEM, people from Black British Caribbean and African backgrounds and from Pakistani and Bangladeshi British backgrounds. Our Executive team, supported by our 'Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion' (EDI) and Wellbeing and our EDI Networks actively promote Inclusion and takes steps to increase diversity within our organization. We reinforce best practices in recruitment and selection and evaluate approaches to remove barriers to success.

UK Atomic Energy Authority is committed to being accessible. Please email [email protected] if you have any questions or require help or adjustments to compete on a fair basis, for example, changes to the way we interview or share information.  

Please note that vacancies are generally advertised for 4 weeks but may close earlier if we receive a large number of applications.