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PLANET Doctoral Training Programme

About PLANET

PLANET is a newly-established centre providing PhD-level training in applied nuclear physics. Our aim over the coming decade is to train at least 80 industry-ready nuclear scientists who can apply their high-level skills to challenges in national security, clean energy and healthcare.

You could be one of the first to join this wider national drive to train 500 PhD students in advanced nuclear skills. With a renewed national focus on nuclear technology and significant government investment, there has never been a better time to consider a career in the wider nuclear industry. 

Two students working in the nuclear lab. The students are working on a machine with various controls, cables and a graphical display
 

Who are we?

PLANET stands for Physics-Led Applications for Nuclear Engineering & Technology. Our focus is on how the underpinning science of nuclear physics can be applied to real world challenges. In a first-of-its-kind collaboration, our consortium combines five world-class research groups, three with focus on nuclear physics at the Universities of Edinburgh, Surrey and York and two active in nuclear engineering at the University of Cambridge and Lancaster University. This unique alliance is designed to close the historical gap between fundamental science and real-world solutions. 

PLANET has received £8m of funding from a so-called doctoral focal award (DFA) from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). This funding will be matched by contributions from national industry and the five partner universities to allow us to reach the full ambition of 80 fully-funded PhD studentships. 

Is PLANET for me?

We expect to recruit PhD students from a diverse range of backgrounds. We are passionate about EDI and will take specific measures to recruit women and other under-represented groups onto our programme. We will also tailor our content and delivery to support participation by all including part-time students and those with specific needs.

Our selection process will focus on an individual’s capability and motivation, with less emphasis on a specific academic pathway. We expect many students will come with a background in Physics, or other mathematical sciences such as Chemistry as well as Engineering and Data Science. Not all will be recent graduates. We are placing a strong emphasis on reskilling and upskilling existing staff in the nuclear industry. Indeed, many of our industry partners are strongly interested in the potential for developing their staff through the PLANET programme.


What will the PLANET programme involve?

PLANET is typically a four-year funded PhD (or equivalent part-time). The first year will be largely focussed on training before embarking on a research project that occupies the remainder of the PhD.

The taught component of PLANET will  correspond to approximately 600 hours of lectures, seminars, hands-on lab work and self-study. Alongside more traditional content,  students will learn from experts about future challenges such as how to exploit quantum computing in support of nuclear theory and how AI can be employed in a safety-critical area such as the nuclear industry.

The taught programme in the first year of the PhD will comprise five core modules and additional specialist modules tailored to the student’s intended research project pathway. The core modules include:

  1. A baseline module focussing on achieving a grounding in nuclear physics through an introduction to nuclear reaction theory and a novel course providing a data-driven introduction to nuclear structure.
  2. An instrumentation/radiation detection module comprising classroom-based learning and hands-on laboratory-based work at Lancaster, Surrey and York.
  3. A simulation and modelling module will introduce reactor physics and Monte Carlo simulation. 
  4. A nuclear data pipeline module will heavily focus on practical use of codes. Much of this will be provided by some of our key industrial partners such as AWE, UKAEA and EDF. 
  5. A consolidation module will take the form of a mini-project running through the taught part of the programme building on all the elements learned. It will culminate in the cohort splitting into teams to carry out experiments at the neutron beam facility at NPL in London and the TRIGA research reactor in Slovenia. 

    All students will be offered an industrial placement as a means of broadening their experience beyond their research project to enhance their employability.

The core of the PLANET DFA is the research project that all students undertake. Our projects will be co-created with industryand will tackle research questions of high priority to the needs of national industry and defence.


Each project will have two academic supervisors: one at the university where they will be registered and one at a second university in our consortium. In addition, each student will have an industrial supervisor.


Research projects will be highly diverse with everything from nuclear theory to experimental work at international facilities. 

Excitingly, we are able to access world class facilities at international laboratories like CERN for aspects of our experimental programme. 

All students will be offered an industrial placement as a means of broadening their experience beyond their research project to enhance their employability.

Most placements will take place broadly within the nuclear industry but we also intend to offer opportunities in areas such as policy, data science, and scientific instrument development. A typical placement will be up to three months in duration and take place in year 2 of the PhD. The placement may be fully on-site or involve hybrid working; this can be tailored to suit individual circumstances recognising issues such as caring responsibilities.