Home / PhD Opportunities / Innovative Manufacturing of Nuclear Components
Open now | Derby + Loughborough | Schedule driven manufacturing
Innovative Manufacturing of Nuclear Components
Use additive manufacturing to streamline the fabrication of nuclear components, reduce welds, integrate sensors and demonstrate regulatory compliance.
Lead Supervisor
Dr Paul Wood & Dr Urvashi Gunputh
University of Derby
Industry Partner
Sought
Project Start
1 October 2026
Target Background
Materials & Manufacturing Engineering
Second Supervisor
Dr Moataz Attallah & Dr Steven Kenny
University of Loughborough
Industrial Funding
TBC
Advert Close Date
15 July 2026
Programme
4 year Engineering Doctorate (EngD)
with industry placement
Project summary
Aims and objectives
The proposed EngD aims to develop a protocol for evaluating and evidencing that a new material and fabrication method, using additive manufacturing, meets all the sector regulatory requirements, and to apply the protocol to demonstrate regulatory compliance for selected cases.
Research objectives:
Select case study components for design appraisals.
Augment current practice by applying uncertainty methods with risk quantification.
Conduct evaluations of additively manufactured components, comparing simulation and experiment with risk quantification.
Evaluate the integration of sensors in additively manufactured components.
Define and use a new material model and design protocol to demonstrate regulatory compliance.
Alignment to STAND-UP impact targets
>50% reduction in overall build or decommissioning process time
>40% reduction in maintenance time
>30% reduction in person hours on builds
Apply for this project
Contact the lead supervisor or programme team to discuss your interest. Full application instructions are on the How to Apply page.
Related projects
Physics-Based ML & Predictive Digital Twins for Submarines
Inspection of Maritime Defence Components
Risk-Aware Tolerance Stack-up
Rethinking nuclear component fabrication.
This DFA research proposal is a partnership between the University of Derby, Loughborough University and an industrial partner.
Conventional manufacturing of nuclear components relies extensively on forgings, with individual parts welded together followed by subtractive finishing processes. The research seeks to innovate nuclear manufacturing by streamlining these conventional methods.
Additive manufacturing of critical components can integrate numerous parts that would otherwise require extensive welding, replace a forging that requires expensive tooling, and achieve near net shape, reducing subtractive machining. A further dividend is the functional integration of sensory devices within the manufacturing process, enabling health condition monitoring of the asset during service.
Ready to apply?
Read the entry requirements, application process and FAQs on the How to Apply page.