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Hydrogen Released from Nuclear Waste and its Consequence of Small Scale Explosion

This PhD project is part of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in SATURN (Skills And Training Underpinning a Renaissance in Nuclear), addressing the critical safety challenge of managing hydrogen gas during the decommissioning of the UK's nuclear legacy sites. The project will develop fundamental understanding of how hydrogen-air mixtures ignite and explode in conditions relevant to the nuclear estate, using state-of-the-art experimental approaches including a spherical combustion vessel and advanced optical diagnostics (Schlieren, PIV) to study flame acceleration, instability, and quenching in stratified mixtures. The research will produce unique experimental data to develop and validate high-fidelity Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models capable of simulating large-scale explosion scenarios in confined spaces. This will provide crucial insights for safety cases at sites like Sellafield, Dounreay, and Magnox. The project offers opportunity to work at the interface of cutting-edge experimental combustion and computational modelling, directly impacting safe and cost-effective nuclear decommissioning. The studentship is offered through the SATURN CDT, a consortium led by the University of Manchester including leading nuclear research universities in Northern England and Scotland. The program includes technical training in the nuclear fuel cycle and specialist research skills training, delivered in a collegial cohort environment. Students will be supported by close collaboration with industrial partner Sellafield Ltd.

Measurement and modelling of hydrogen retention and release from complex sediments

This PhD project addresses the challenge of managing hydrogen gas in the decommissioning of the UK's nuclear legacy sites. The project will develop a fundamental understanding of how hydrogen gas bubbles are retained and released in granular sediment wastes, similar to common ion exchange and filtration media used for effluent treatment. The research will combine state-of-the-art 3D x-ray computer tomography (CT) with enhanced machine learning (ML) simulations of hydrogen gas diffusion flows. CT will be used to visualise bubble clusters in waste sediments, allowing quantification of their size and abundance for different hydrogen generation rates. The 3D CT reconstructions will be transferred as input meshes for the simulation of hydrogen transport through pore spaces, enabling prediction of hydrogen transport in these complex operations. This project is part of the Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in SATURN (Skills And Training Underpinning a Renaissance in Nuclear), led from the University of Manchester and including leading nuclear research universities in the North of England and Scotland. The project offers an opportunity to work at the interface of cutting-edge experimental visualisation techniques and computational modelling, directly impacting the safe and cost-effective decommissioning of sites like Sellafield, Dounreay, and Magnox. Candidates will develop highly sought-after skills in advanced diagnostics, CFD, and nuclear safety, supported by close collaboration with industrial partner Sellafield Ltd.

Targeting the Biofilm for Drug Design: Modelling the roles and impacts of extracellular matrix composition in a mixed species bacterial biofilm

This PhD project focuses on modeling bacterial biofilms, which are protective colonies that bacteria use to shield themselves from therapeutic molecules like antibiotics. The project specifically examines the polysaccharide extracellular matrices of multi-species biofilms, particularly Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, two dangerous pathogens linked to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The research will model the polysaccharide structures of multi-species biofilms, exploring interactions and partitioning behavior of biofilm components, and examining how quorum sensing molecules and nutrients move through overlapping matrices. This knowledge will inform rational design and modification of antibiotics targeted against extracellular enzymes that maintain the glycocalyx. The project is entirely computational in nature, using computer-aided drug design and working on the University of Leeds' High-Performance Computer, Aire. It suits students with backgrounds in chemistry, physics, materials, mathematics, biology, or microbiology who are interested in computational methods.

Naughton & Clift-Matthews Mathematics Scholarship

The Naughton & Clift-Matthews Mathematics Scholarship is intended to enable students in financial need to pursue their postgraduate studies in the Mathematics Department at UCL. The scholarship is available to prospective students who are ordinarily resident in the UK and eligible to pay the Home fee rate. Candidates must have submitted an admission application to study for a full-time MSc Mathematical Modelling, MSc Mathematics, or MSc Financial Mathematics at UCL. In addition to meeting residency requirements, candidates must meet at least one of the following criteria: identify as British Black-African or British Black-Caribbean, have a household annual income under £42,875, or have received an Access UCL undergraduate offer. The scholarship provides £20,000 for one year and may be held alongside other scholarships or awards. Recipients are expected to secure the remaining part of their tuition fees and living costs from other sources. Candidates are shortlisted based on financial need upon recommendation of the Student Funding Office, with the Department of Mathematics making the final decision.