Theme 1 - Bruce Hanson Nuclear Fuel Cycle

During the preparations for USci25, Professor Bruce Hanson of the University of Leeds agreed to give a plenary on the topic of Advanced Nuclear Fuel Cycles. Bruce held the University’s Leadership Chair in Nuclear Process Engineering in the School of Chemical and Process Engineering. Sadly, Bruce died on the 22nd of February from complications associated with Motor Neurone Disease (MND), just over a year after he had been diagnosed as having MND.

Bruce was a much-loved friend and colleague to many working the nuclear and chemical engineering disciplines and will be sorely missed. But he was also an internationally respected expert in the area of spent nuclear fuel reprocessing. Thus, and with the blessing of Bruce’s family, a special session of this theme that will be dedicated to Bruce’s areas of interest, his work and Bruce himself.

Plenary: Separation processes for advanced nuclear fuel cycles

Dr Robin Taylor, United Kingdom National Nuclear Laboratory

Robin is the UKNNL Senior Fellow in Actinide Chemistry and lead for plutonium technical strategy. He has over 30 years’ R&D experience in the reprocessing and recycling of nuclear fuel and actinide materials and was technical lead for the Advanced Recycling and Sustainability theme in the Advanced Fuel Cycle Programme funded by the UK Government (2017-2022). His current research interests include actinide separations, plutonium management, and sustainability of the nuclear fuel cycle.

Theme 2: Nuclear Fuels and Nuclear Fuel Cycles

Nuclear power is a cornerstone technology of the modern energy sector, and plays a crucial role in the global transition towards a carbon-neutral future. The stringent efficiency, safety, and environmental standards required for next-generation nuclear fuels and their associated fuel cycles present an exciting challenge to uranium materials research. Additionally, understanding the behaviour of current nuclear fuels within the worlds operational reactors remains an active area of research, highlighting both the complexity and importance of understanding this uranium system. We look forward to contributions within this theme that further our understanding of contemporary nuclear fuels, the candidate materials for next generations of nuclear reactors and their associated nuclear fuel cycles

Theme 3: Environmental Science and Forensics

The impact of uranium on the environment is a scientifically complex and often politically sensitive issue. characterising and quantifying the presence of uranium and its related compounds is vital for proper risk mitigation and environmental protection and restoration. Similarly, identifying sources of uranium is of fundamental importance to both nuclear forensics and applied nuclear industries. Covering the forefront of actinide spectroscopy and the complex evolution of uranium compounds in the environment, this theme showcases the research making strides to understand the impact of uranium on our world, how best to detect its presence and understand its origins.

Plenary: Uranium Speciation and Fate in Environmentally Relevant Systems

Professor Katherine Morris, University of Manchester

Kath is an environmental radiochemist working on radionuclide speciation and fate in engineered and natural environments. She has won UKRI and industry funding to support her research interests and currently leads the Radioactive Waste Disposal and Environmental Remediation National Nuclear Facility, the Sellafield Effluent and Decontamination Centre of Expertise, and the Nuclear Waste Services Research Support Office.

Uranium is typically the most abundant radionuclide by mass in many radioactive waste and environmental contamination scenarios. In this keynote, I will focus on key controls on U (and related radionuclide) behaviour in a range of environmentally relevant systems we have explored and reflecting our evolving understanding of the complexity of radionuclide speciation and fate. Examples will include the impacts of (biogeo)chemistry on U speciation and fate, U colloidal behaviour, U sorption and incorporation behaviour, and uranium phases as a control on radionuclide behaviour. Throughout, I will highlight case studies where underpinning research on radionuclide speciation and fate has had real real-world impact in environmental clean-up.

UPDATE: Professor Morris is co-director of Nuclear Waste Service’s Research Support Office (NWS-RSO). On the 30^th June and 1^st July 2025, immediately before USci2025, the NWS-RSO will be holding a two-day symposium at the University of Manchester on Engineered Barrier Systems (EBSs). The EBS is a core component of the ‘multi-barrier’ approach to the design of the UK’s Geological Disposal Facility. If you are interested in attending the EBS Symposium as well as USci25, further details can be found on the EBS website.

Theme 4 – Waste Management

Radioactive waste management involves a series of stages, including planning and preparation, treatment, packaging, storage and disposal. Of particular importance is the long-term stability of waste packages and the material stored therein. As a highly reactive and electron-abundant element, uranium manifests a rich array of chemical behaviours. Immobilising or synthesising new compounds that improve nuclear fuel treatment and final disposal, reduce corrosion and/or allow safe removal of other actinides in conjunction with uranium is an important area of academic and industrial scientific research. Thus, this theme examines both future encapsulation and wasteform technologies as well as advances in understanding of corrosion behaviour of uranium over storage timescales.

Plenary: An overview of the UK's research programme for the geological disposal of spent fuels: Current and future research themes

Dr Luke Townsend, Nuclear Waste Services

Luke is a Research Manager at Nuclear Waste Services (NWS), specialising in Spent Fuel. Prior to joining NWS, Luke obtained his PhD from the University of Manchester in uranium environmental radiochemistry with a focus on understanding potential post-closure Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) systems. Following his PhD, Luke spent approximately 4 years in postdoctoral research roles at the Universities of Manchester and Sheffield investigating areas that included neptunium radiochemistry, and the materials chemistry of glasses and ceramics relevant to radioactive waste disposal. In his current role at NWS, Luke works with both academia and supply chain to obtain the data required to underpin a safety case for the safe disposal of the UK’s spent fuel inventory in a GDF. The portfolio of work he manages covers all aspects of the UK’s spent fuel inventory, with current work ongoing in areas such as leaching experiments of real Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor (AGR) spent fuel, and academic projects exploring the fundamental corrosion science of oxide and metallic simfuel materials.