Study With Us

Isotope Toolkit for Saline Groundwaters (IT4SG)

The offshore sites under consideration by UK for a Geological Disposal Facility contain saline aquifers.  Determining the age, origin, mixing and interaction histories of the various groundwater components is crucial to establishing a hydrogeological model of the GDF, and critical for evaluating how well a GDF will retain radionuclides and other contaminants on long timescales.

The student will develop a range of geochemical and isotopic techniques for the characterisation of the source and age of saline groundwaters in the laboratories at SUERC. The ultimate aim is to build UK capacity for future investigations of GDF hydrology.  Existing O, H and S isotope capabilities will be integrated with a suite of new techniques such as stable chlorine isotopes (³⁷Cl/³⁵Cl), the short-lived radionuclide ³⁶Cl, U series isotopes and the radiogenic noble gases (⁴He and ⁴⁰Ar).  These techniques will be tested and proven on saline groundwaters from two onshore sites and the student will use the data to develop and test models of the large-scale hydrodynamics of deep saline groundwater systems.  The development and integration of the new methods will feed into the creation of a groundwater isotope laboratory at SUERC.

The student will be enrolled in the University of Glasgow College of Science and Engineering Graduate School and be based on the SUERC campus.  Supervision will be provided by Professor Fin Stuart and an experienced laboratory team at SUERC, groundwater specialist David Banks from the University of Glasgow and an advisor from Nuclear Waste Services.  The project will involve groundwater sampling campaigns in UK and the student will have the opportunity to spend time at other laboratories valuable experience. They will be enrolled in University of Glasgow College of Science and Engineering Graduate School benefitting from the wide-ranging development programme and have the opportunity to engage with industry partners via training and placements.

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. wet chemistry or mass spectrometry, would be advantageous.

Please include a CV and cover letter in your application.

Funding

The NWS studentship will provide funding for 4 years including tuition fees and a tax-free stipend at the standard UKRI rate, £19,162 for the 2024/25 academic year.

Funding is available for UK and international students.

Deadline

31st May 2024

Contact

Please email Prof. Fin Stuart (fin.stuart@glasgow.ac.uk) if you have any questions.