Microstructure engineering of actinide refractory materials ISOL@MYRRHA day-target operation

Organisation/Company KU LEUVEN Research Field Engineering >
Materials engineering >
Nuclear engineering Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Final date to receive applications 31 Mar 2026 - 23:59 (UTC) Country Belgium Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Offer Starting Date 1 Oct 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Reference Number BAP-2026-21 Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

The future ISOL@MYRRHA will be able to produce different radioactive isotopes for applications in the field of nuclear physics, condensed‑matter physics, biology, nuclear medicine and others. The used Isotope Separation On‑Line (ISOL) technique relies on a series of successive steps starting with the irradiation of a target material by a proton beam where the impact of the protons induces nuclear reactions through which the radioisotopes are produced.

During irradiation, these radioisotopes have to be released from the target, by keeping it at temperatures in the range of ~2000°C in vacuum. When produced in the bulk of the material, the isotopes have to diffuse out of the target material grains and effuse throughout its interconnected pore network to escape from the target. After that, the isotopes are directed towards an ion source where they are selectively ionized, extracted and accelerated towards an electromagnetic mass separator for further purification before being delivered to the end‑users as a so‑called Radioactive Ion Beam (RIB).

Successful operating facilities, like ISOLDE at CERN and ISAC at TRIUMF, can produce up to about 1000 different RIBs from up to 75 chemical elements.

This project focuses on the target release efficiency, one of the most important and most limiting steps of an ISOL facility. This is normally worked out through carefully selecting the target material compound (e.g. oxide, carbide or metal form) and engineering a microstructure which contains an interconnected pore network. Additionally, this microstructure must be stable under proton beam irradiation and high ISOL operation temperatures (up to 2000°C), where target material degradation (i.e. through sintering) brings RIB yield reduction over time.

Actinide oxides are suggested as one of the first target materials for the ISOL@MYRRHA operation, although they have been discarded in the past for ISOL operation due to their high sintering rates. In this work, actinide oxide materials with open porous structures with small grain sizes will be attempted to be stabilized at the highest possible temperature and tested for release by irradiation with a proton beam in an external facility.

Master of Sciences, Master of Sciences in Engineering, Master in Nuclear Engineering, Master in Materials Engineering, or an equivalent master degree. The candidate preferably has a background in Chemistry, Physics and Materials.

Candidate must hold a Master’s degree in a relevant field (Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, Materials Engineering, Chemistry, or Physics). A background in chemistry, physics and materials science is preferred. The candidate must pass the selection campaign of the Scientific Council of SCK‑CEN, involving an oral defense of the research theme.

• Final date to receive applications:
  31 March 2026
• Notification for oral interviews (if selected): 4 May 2026
• Oral presentations:
  21 and 22 May 2026
• Notification of final decision:
  15 June 2026

PhD fellowship for the duration of a maximum of 4 years. The candidate will obtain a PhD in Engineering Science – Materials Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering of KU Leuven.