Doctoral student position in gamma emission tomography of nuclear fuel - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

The Division of Applied Nuclear Physics conducts research in the areas of nuclear reactions (for applications like nuclear energy, cancer therapy or transmutation of nuclear waste), nuclear fuel diagnostics and safeguards (encapsulation of spent nuclear fuel, the future needs of nuclear power plants, nuclear safeguards and non-proliferation issues), neutron diagnostics for fusion energy (studying fusion as a possible future energy source in present day devices and for ITER) and interaction of high velocity ions in various materials (with applications ranging from archaeology and medicine to the ageing of materials in nuclear reactors). The Division of Applied Nuclear Physics offers training and expertise in instrumentation, numerical modeling and computer simulation of nuclear reactions and interactions as well as nuclear measurements techniques.

The fission group focuses on measurement techniques, instrumentation and analysis methods for the (fission) nuclear energy sector, for usage in nuclear fuel diagnostics and safeguards, and in future reactor concepts. We are developing techniques that utilize various radiation types to examine nuclear materials, e.g. neutron transmission tomography, gamma spectroscopy and tomography, and Cherenkov imaging.

Duties/Project description
Recently, a Gamma Emission Tomography (GET) instrument was installed at the Halden reactor, where it is used to study the behavior of nuclear fuels upon irradiation with neutrons. This technique offers nonintrusive measurements of the radioisotope distributions in the fuel. This enables data on nuclear fuel phenomena such as migration of fission products, burnup and power distributions, and dimensional changes of fuel and cladding, in a timely manner.

In this project, enhancement of the GET technique is envisioned, by improving the ability to resolve small spatial features of the nuclear fuel, toward less than 100 μm. This will require the design of a second generation instrument for the purpose, optimized for spatial resolution. Such an instrument may greatly aid in the development phase of advanced nuclear fuels such as for Generation IV reactors, by providing non-destructive, high-resolution images of freshly irradiated test fuels in close vicinity to the reactor.

Our group maintains the necessary infrastructures for instrument development, such as a radiation laboratory facility with a GET prototype and a computer cluster for radiation transport simulations. In addition, through our collaboration with the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) in Norway, we have access to a Material Test Reactor with irradiated nuclear fuels and a world-unique GET instrument for irradiated nuclear fuels.

Specific duties
As a doctoral student, you will take an active role in the research project, and in other activities of the group, such as seminars, workshops and mandatory courses.

You are expected to identify conceptual alternatives for the measurement setup to be developed in the project and to evaluate the alternatives using relevant figures of merit, such as the energy resolution of the spectroscopic detector, the time requirements and obtained spatial resolution of a tomographic interrogation.

You will perform predictions of the instrument performance based on computer simulations, and assemble an experimental setup to perform experimental validation.

You are expected to participate in adapting the selected concept to enable the technique for usage at the research reactor in Halden, Norway, and participate in characterization of the instrument and in measurements on Generation IV nuclear fuels.

In addition, you participate in applications for scholarships for travel and research.

Requirements:

*A Master’s degree or equivalent in a field that is relevant for the research project, such as (but not limited to) Nuclear Engineering, Physics, Engineering Physics, Medical Physics or similar, is required.

* Candidates must have excellent skills in written and spoken English.

 Desirable qualifications and experience

• Documented experience working in a physics-based research environment and practical laboratory experience, especially in applied nuclear physics. Please provide documentation of extent and type of experience.
• Documented experience with nuclear and/or particle physics instrumentation and detectors, data acquisition systems and simulation environments.
• Proven programming skills in, for example, MATLAB, Octave, Python, FORTRAN, C or C++.
• Excellent English writing and oral skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a mixed gender, multi-cultural environment and to promote team spirit.
• Willingness to work abroad for extended periods of time with our collaboration partners.
• The doctoral student is expected to have an interest in applied nuclear physics, radiation measurements.
• The ability to work independently and to take personal responsibility for the progression of the project is crucial.

Employment conditions The Doctoral student position is a 4-year appointment, and the candidate will primarily devote the time to his/her own research studies. Extension, up to a maximum of five years, is possible by including department duties at a level of at most 20%, typically teaching. The position is fully financed and the salary is in accordance with local guidelines at Uppsala University. The applicant must be eligible for Postgraduate studies at Uppsala University.

Information on post-graduate education, rules governing the enrolment as a doctoral student in The Higher Education Act and Higher Education Ordinance as well as the rules and regulations for doctoral students at Uppsala University can be found here: http://www.teknat.uu.se/education/postgraduate/

Application
Rules governing Ph.D. candidates are set out in the Higher Education Ordinance Chapter 5, §§ 1-7 and in Uppsala university's rules and guidelines http://regler.uu.se/search/?hits=30&languageId=1&search-language_en=English

Uppsala University strives to be an inclusive workplace that promotes equal opportunities and attracts qualified candidates who can contribute to the University’s excellence and diversity. We welcome applications from all sections of the community and from people of all backgrounds.

Salary: According to local agreement for PhD students and teaching assistants.
 
Starting date: 01-04-2018, temporary position ending 31-03-2022.

Type of position: Full time position.

For further information about the position please contact
Peter Andersson, peter.andersson@physics.uu.se, phone +46 18 471 3042.

Please submit your application by 28 February 2018, UFV-PA 2018/477.

Are you considering moving to Sweden to work at Uppsala University? If so, you will find a lot of information about working and living in Sweden at www.uu.se/joinus. You are also welcome to contact International Faculty and Staff Services at ifss@uadm.uu.se.