The University of Cambridge will help train industry-ready nuclear scientists as part of two UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Doctoral Focal Awards in Nuclear Skills.
The funding for doctoral students is being provided by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and Ministry of Defence as part of the Nuclear Skills Plan, which brings together government, industry and education providers to deliver the skilled workforce and 24,000 additional jobs required in the nuclear sector by 2030.
PANDA
As part of the Programme for Accelerating Nuclear Development and Applications (PANDA), led by Bangor University, 10 PhD studentships are expected to be secured at Cambridge, shared between the Department of Engineering and the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology over four years, as part of a £24 million programme training up to 100 PhD students.
PANDA is accepting applications for fully funded PhD opportunities, across a broad range of disciplines to start in October 2026. Find out more.
The £9 million awarded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the Ministry of Defence and UKRI will be matched by support from major nuclear organisations, including Rolls-Royce Submarines, the UK Atomic Energy Authority and TWI.
PANDA will be delivered by Bangor University in partnership with the United Kingdom National Nuclear Laboratory and the Universities of Cambridge (led by Dr Paul Cosgrove and Dr Nathaniel Read), Bristol, Birmingham, Derby, Manchester and Imperial College London. Together, these partners will support a new generation of researchers equipped to meet the UK’s future nuclear and clean‑energy needs, including a specific focus on defence.
PLANET
As part of the Physics-Led Applications for Nuclear Engineering and Technology (PLANET) programme, led by the University of York, 16 PhD studentships are expected to be secured at Cambridge, shared between the Department of Engineering and the Cavendish Laboratory, Department of Physics over four years. This is part of an £8 million initiative to train at least 80 industry-ready nuclear scientists, serving as a key part of a national drive to quadruple the number of nuclear specialists in the UK.
Recruitment for PLANET opens in 2026, with the first researchers joining for the 2026/27 academic year. Prospective PhD students can register their interest and receive further details by completing this short form.
In a first-of-its-kind collaboration, the partnership consists of three Nuclear Physics research groups at the Universities of York, Surrey and Edinburgh and two Nuclear Engineering groups at the Universities of Cambridge (led by Professor Geoff Parks, Dr Valeria Raffuzzi and Dr Paul Cosgrove) and Lancaster. The partnership is designed to close the historical gap between fundamental science and real-world energy solutions.
Depertment of Engineering, University of Cambridge article
Image credit: Visualisation of a nuclear reactor (the Advanced Test Reactor) produced by the Department of Engineering's in-house code called SCONE – Stochastic Calculator Of the Neutron transport Equation - SCONE