Long-term climate change risk scenarios for nuclear disposal and storage

Saturn_Nuclear_CDT

The Project:

The long-term safe geological disposal and storage of nuclear waste represents one of the most significant challenges to the nuclear energy sector, with implications spanning timescales far beyond typical human decision-making frameworks. Shifting climatic patterns and tipping points can dramatically influence geological, hydrological and oceanic processes and systems that are integral to the long-term stability of nuclear disposal facilities. Climate change will introduce non-linear, interdependent, and compounding risks that may impact these nuclear waste disposal sites, which existing risk assessment frameworks insufficiently address.

This PhD, a collaboration between the University of Strathclyde and the UK Met Office and funded through the SATURN CDT, will create climate change risk scenarios for nuclear disposal over two critical timescales: 1) the next 100-200 years, capturing near-term policy-relevant risks using global and regional climate models; and 2) the next 10,000 years, encompassing geological and climatic tipping points. It will use this new knowledge to identify and evaluate policy-relevant decision-making frameworks capable of addressing deep uncertainty and interdependent, compounding risks in long-term nuclear waste storage management.

Understanding and building scenarios of the complex interdependencies, triggers and tipping points associated with long-term risks will form the core of this research. The interplay between complex climate dynamics and the safety of nuclear repositories demands robust decision-making frameworks capable of integrating interdependent and nonlinear risks under deep uncertainty. By combining climate modelling, risk assessment, and decision-making science, this PhD aims to bring together traditionally siloed disciplines to develop actionable and robust ‘worst-case’ options for managing the risks associated with nuclear disposal in a changing climate. The outcomes of this PhD will highlight the benefits of cross-disciplinary collaboration to address the challenges of long timescale decision-making and inform policies ensuring the safe and secure management of geological nuclear waste sites over millennia, safeguarding future generations from the compounded risks of climate change and nuclear legacies.

Who we are looking for:

We are looking for a talented individual with the skills and desire to address a critical gap in understanding the intersection of climate change and the stability of long-term nuclear waste disposal and storage. They will have an interest in integrating insights from climate science, systems modelling, and decision-making theory and management science, to enhance the resilience of nuclear disposal strategies under deep uncertainty. They will be a practical, self-motivated person who will lead the development and direction of their project. Applicants should have a strong background in one or more relevant fields related to the project, including climate science, engineering, mathematics and management science. Some programming experience in analytical languages such as MATLAB, Python or R would be beneficial. UK and international applicants that don’t require ATAS (i.e. EU/EEA/Swiss nationals/Nationals of Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, United States of America or applicants with indefinite leave to remain in the UK) are welcome to apply.

The successful candidate will join a cohort of PhD students in the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Skills And Training Underpinning a Renaissance in Nuclear (SATURN) involving the Universities of Manchester, Lancaster, Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield and Strathclyde.

Supervisory team: The successful candidate will be supervised by a cross-disciplinary team comprising Dr Christopher White, University of Strathclyde https://www.strath.ac.uk/staff/whitechristopherdr/, Prof Becky Lunn, University of Strathclyde, https://www.strath.ac.uk/staff/lunnrebeccaprof/ and Dr Emily Wallace, UK Met Office, https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/people/emily-wallace. 

Before you apply 

We strongly recommend that you contact the supervisor(s) for this project before you apply. For informal enquiries, please contact Dr Christopher White chris.white@strath.ac.uk

How to apply 

Please complete the enquiry form to express your interest. 

We strongly recommend you contact the project supervisor after completing the form to speak to them about your suitability for the project. You can find their details on the project listing. 

If your qualifications meet our standard entry requirements, the CDT Admissions Team will send your enquiry form and CV to the named project supervisor. 

Our application process can also be found on our website: Apply nearmejobs.eu EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Skills And Training Underpinning a Renaissance in Nuclear nearmejobs.eu The University of Manchester. If you have any questions, please contact SATURN@manchester.ac.uk