ERC PhD studentship in Seeking precursors of Pyrophoricity

Materials response to harsh irradiation, temperature and corrosive media is preventing the successful exploitation of innovative nuclear fusion, advanced fission technologies for sustainable energy production and human exploration of faraway planets. Specifically, materials degradation and early failures hinder these scientific longstanding endeavours. The current paradigm to tackle these issues is to implement mitigating solutions or to characterise the surrounding environment to understand failure initiation and propagation.

URÅNIA shifts this approach by focusing directly on understanding the incubation stage prior to initiation events.

The Principal Investigator's research group will demonstrate the URÅNIA methodology by: i) creating a novel gold standard to reveal the incubation stage of materials degradation phenomena; ii) revealing precursors affecting the transition from incubation to initiation, iii) linking precursors nanoscale effect to macroscopic degradation behaviour.

The aim of this post is to: (i) initiate sample preparation and undergo training to work in active laboratories for production and characterisation of 3D printed UC. (ii) analyse and perform High Temperature Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy (HT-ESEM) initiation and incubation experiments.

The postholder will work in strong synergy with all URÅNIA team members, be based at the University of Cambridge, Department of Engineering and collaborate extensively with other Departments at Cambridge, mainly the Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy and Earth Sciences, URÅNIA partners: Imperial College London, specifically with the Imperial Centre for Cryo Microscopy, UKAEA Materials Research Facility, Australian Nuclear Science Technology Organisation (ANSTO), Marcoule Institute in Separation Chemistry (ICSM), Joint Research Centre, University of Bristol, Bangor University and beyond under the guidance of the PI. This opportunity necessitates the postholder to work for short period of times in other sites across the above-mentioned partners.

Applicants should have (or expect to obtain by the start date) at least a good 2.1 degree in an Engineering, Materials Science, Physics or Chemistry related subject. A degree with major or minor in Nuclear is an asset.

To apply for this studentship, please send your: two page CV, transcripts, Research Summary (2500 characters), Reasons for Applying (2500 characters), Research Experience (2500 characters) to Dr. Claudia Gasparrini cg914@cam.ac.uk to arrive no later than 5th of July. The interviews will be done via Teams or in-person shortly after. Applications may close early if the position is filled before this date.

Subject of your email: 'PhD URÅNIA 2026 Application' - [your name.your surname - University affiliation]

Applicants are encouraged to guarantee that two referees are willing to give you a reference and can submit their letters by 30th of July 2026.

Please note that any offer of funding will be conditional on securing a place as a PhD student. Candidates will need to apply separately for admission through the University's Graduate Admissions application portal; this can be done before or after applying for this funding opportunity. The applicant portal can be accessed via: www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/courses/directory/egegpdpeg. The final deadline for PhD applications is 30 July 2026, although it is advisable to apply earlier than this.

If you have any questions about this vacancy, please contact Dr. Claudia Gasparrini (cg914@cam.ac.uk).

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.