BEIS Recycle Programme / Partners

Research partners

The UK Nuclear Innovation Programme in Recycle will contribute to the training and development of the next generation of global experts in nuclear science and engineering by using cutting edge approaches in both industry and academia.

Read about our research partners below.

 

Dr Robin Taylor

Technical Lead

Within NNL, Dr Taylor is a senior technical lead for R&D programmes in fuel recycling and plutonium characterization.

Current chair of the OECD-NEA Fuel Recycling Chemistry Expert Group, NNL Senior Fellow and a Visiting Professor at the universities of Lancaster and Manchester.

Gemma Mathers

Programme Manager

Ms Mathers is responsible for the day to day project management, providing a focal point for scoping and costing all programmed work

She ensures the execution, monitoring and eventual close-out to the required specifications.

Dr Mark Sarsfield

WP1 Lead

Dr Sarsfield is an NNL Laboratory Fellow specialising in actinide chemistry with over 18 years’ experience working with actinide materials.

Also technical lead on projects for NNL such as the European Space Agency (americium production from plutonium), EU funded projects in advanced recycle (GENIORS, ASGARD, ACSEPT).

David Graham

Mr Graham leads and ensures delivery of the engineering tasks conducted by NNL across the entire programme.

Has delivered nuclear R&D engineering projects across the entire nuclear fuel cycle, from conducting concept designs of entire plants to being responsible for delivery of major nuclear R&D installations in NNL’s flagship Central Laboratory.

Ross Harris

WP3 Design Engineer

Mr Harris is responsible for developing the calculation engine that will drive Sim Plant – a tool to compare different reprocessing flowsheets.

He applies Sim Plant methods to assess the waste arising from an Advanced PUREX flowsheet.

 

Dr Tim Tinsley (CEng, FIChemE)

WP4 Lead

Dr Tinsley has over 25 years international experience managing projects in the Nuclear Industry, having worked in a number of roles at Sellafield in the UK and with BNFL Inc in the USA.

He is the account Director for Special Nuclear Material at the National Nuclear Laboratory.

Professor Colin Boxall

WP1 Lead

Professor Boxall has research interests in the behaviour of the actinides throughout the nuclear industrial fuel cycle and has written more than 160 publications including more than 60 reports for the nuclear industry, including the NNL, Sellafield and the NDA.

He has also delivered oral evidence to UK Parliament on the future of the nuclear industry in this country.

Dr Michael Bromley

WP1 Research Associate

Dr Bromley works on the investigation of potential methods for the co-reduction of U(VI) / Pu(IV) in order to identify a coupled method of generating a stable U(IV) / Pu(III) product.

He also researches the generation of co-finished U(IV) / Ce(III), as Pu surrogate, products for subsequent conversion into mixed metal oxalates and the manufacture of homogeneous MOx fuel pellets.

Professor Bruce Hanson

WP3 Lead

Prof. Hanson is the University of Leeds’ Leadership Chair in Nuclear Process Engineering and an Honorary Professor of Nuclear Engineering at University College London.

Previous to his current position, he spent 25+ years in the nuclear and chemical industries, across a range of functions from plant operation to research, specialising in actinide separations and treatment of irradiated nuclear fuel.

Dr Alastair Baker

WP3 research associate

Dr Baker performs solvent extraction of zirconyl nitrate using centrifugal contactors and the effect of solids upon extraction performance, simulating PUREX reprocessing of used nuclear fuel.

He also maintains, operates and evaluates a 300L pilot plant with a battery of three BXP-040 contactors.

Dr Clint Sharrad

WP5 lead

Dr Sharrad coordinates knowledge management within the project including assisting in the organisation of meetings, conference attendance and international links.

He is also the project lead on understanding physico-chemical behaviour of advanced aqueous recycle processes.

Dr Kathryn George

WP1 Research Associate

Dr George performs solvent extraction of uranyl nitrate and problematic fission products to determine distribution ratios for Advanced PUREX flowsheets.

She is also conducting a study on the radiolytic degradation of solvent and its impact on distribution ratios.

The University of Manchester