Understanding Irradiation and Fission Product Interaction in Nuclear Graphite using Advanced Microscopy

About the Project

The University of Manchester invites applications for a fully funded PhD position focused on understanding the irradiation behaviour of nuclear graphite material under extreme conditions to ensure the safety of next-generation reactors.

Nuclear graphite is a critical material in advanced and next-generation reactor systems, yet its behaviour under irradiation, particularly at high fluxes and in the presence of fission products at high temperatures, remains poorly understood. This PhD project will explore how radiation damage evolves in graphite and how fission products interact with the microstructure of various proposed nuclear-grade graphite materials. The work combines cutting-edge microscopy, in-situ ion irradiation, in-situ annealing, and mechanical properties analysis to provide new insights into the fundamental mechanisms governing graphite behaviour in nuclear environments.