PhD - Establishing an Isotope Toolkit for Saline Groundwaters (IT4SG)About the ProjectStart date: 01 October 2025The UK is currently considering where to locate an underground Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) offshore the UK mainland for its’ nuclear waste inventory (see figure). All the sites being considered contain saline aquifers. Determining the age, origin, mixing and interaction histories of the various groundwater components will be crucial to establishing a hydrogeological model of the GDF, and critical for evaluating how well it will retain radionuclides and other contaminants on appropriate timescales.The project aim is to use of a range of chemical and isotopic techniques to characterise the source and determine the age of saline groundwaters, build future UK capability along the way. With an experienced supervisor team the student will develop techniques for stable chlorine isotopes (37Cl/35Cl) and the short-lived radionuclide 36Cl in the laboratories at SUERC. These will be combined with other analytical techniques (chemistry, O, H and S isotopes, U series isotopes and radiogenic noble gases (4He and 40Ar)) to study the origin and interaction history of saline groundwaters from onshore sites to develop and test models of the large-scale hydrodynamics of deep saline groundwater systems.The student will primarily be based on the SUERC campus of University of Glasgow. Supervision will be provided by Professor Fin Stuart and an experienced laboratory team, groundwater specialist David Banks from the University of Glasgow and a senior advisor from Nuclear Waste Services. The project is predicated on laboratory chemistry and mass spectrometry, and there will be opportunities to gain experience at other laboratories in Europe as well field sampling campaigns. The student will be enrolled in the University of Glasgow College of Science and Engineering Graduate School and will benefit from the wide-ranging development programme and engaging with industry partners via training and placements.Before you applyWe recommend that you contact the supervisor team before you apply. Please email Prof. Fin Stuart (fin.stuart@glasgow.ac.uk) with informal enquiries.How to Apply: Please refer to the following website for details on how to apply:http://www.gla.ac.uk/research/opportunities/howtoapplyforaresearchdegree/.Funding NotesThe NWS studentship will provide funding for 4 years including tuition fees (at the UK home level) and a tax-free stipend at the standard UKRI rate for 2025/2026. Research costs and conference expenses are included in the award. An international fee waiver might be possible for exceptional candidates.Eligibility: Applicants should have, or expect to achieve, at least a 2.1 Honours degree or a Masters (or international equivalent) in a relevant science, including chemistry, Earth/environmental science, physics or similar with a strong quantitative background. Experience of working in a laboratory environment (e.g. environmental or analytical chemistry) would be advantageous. Application Deadline: Friday, March 28, 2025点击“阅读原文”可至机构招聘页面
