Postdoc - Nuclear Fuel and Fission Gas Modelling

Postdoc - Nuclear Fuel Performance and Fission Gas Modelling

The prolonged storage of spent nuclear fuel, particularly high burn up, requires specific knowledge of chemical, structural, radiological and mechanical processes that occur within the fuel assemblies which may impact their stability during storage. In addition to this, reliably predicting the medium-longer term performance is essential for safe storage and associated licensing.

As part of the Ministry for Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) project “Atlas”, the Institute of Fusion Energy and Nuclear Waste Management (IFN) / Nuclear Waste Management (IFN-2) is offering a Postdoc position for a motivated individual with a PhD and background in computational materials science to investigate the chemical and mechanical effects arising from delayed fission gas release in high burn-up spent nuclear fuel by applying SCIANTIX modelling and coupling this against fundamental and engineering-scale nuclear codes such as BISON and TRANSURANUS.

The position will run for 3 years and is contingent upon project approval.

• Apply and develop state-of-the-art computational investigative methods, specifically utilizing the SCIANTIX code, to simulate the behavior of high burn-up spent nuclear fuel during extended interim storage
• Predictive Analysis:
  Model and evaluate physical-chemical phenomena—such as diffusion, resolution, and bubble evolution, to deliver enhanced predictions of fission gas release (FGR) and structural engineering performance in spent fuel
• Bridge the gap between theory and experiment by integrating microstructural and experimental data into computational models to validate predictive capabilities
• Assist in coupling mesoscale fission gas behavior models with macroscopic fuel performance codes such as BISON and TRANSURANUS to assess the long-term integrity of storage systems
• Actively collaborate and exchange benchmarks with the "Atlas" project partners, including participating in collaborative research exchanges
• Support and mentor PhD and Masters level students in implementing modelling codes and analysis
• Analyze, document, and present data at international conferences and publish findings in high-impact, peer-reviewed scientific journals

• Master's degree with subsequent PhD degree in Nuclear Engineering, Computational Materials Science, Physics, Chemistry, or a closely related discipline
• Proven experience in mesoscale or engineering-scale modeling of nuclear fuel materials. Familiarity with physics-based rate theory, mechanistic modeling, or fuel performance codes such as SCIANTIX particularly but also TRANSURANUS or BISON is highly desirable
• Strong foundational knowledge in fission gas behavior (including diffusion, bubble nucleation, resolution, and microstructural evolution) and the mechanics of high burn-up spent nuclear fuel under extended interim storage conditions
• Solid scientific programming and data analysis skills (e.g., Python, C++ or Fortran) for script development, code execution, and parsing complex data sets
• Ability to independently design, execute, and troubleshoot your research output while aligning results with the overarching goals of the Atlas project
• Assist in the co-supervision and mentoring of PhD candidates, master’s students, or technical staff working within the research group whilst performing an active leadership role in the Atlas project
• Excellent English communication and scientific writing skills (at least B2 level according to the CEFR), with a demonstrated track record of publishing in peer‑reviewed journals

We work on highly topical, socially relevant issues and offer you the opportunity to actively shape change! You can expect a wide range of opportunities:

• Research Environment: Working within the state-of-the‑art nuclear laboratories of Forschungszentrum Juelich, Institute of Fusion Energy and Nuclear Waste Management (IFN) / Nuclear Waste Management (IFN-2)
• Research infrastructure: Access to state-of-the‑art computational infrastructure
• Mentoring & Expertise: Mentoring and training by global experts in nuclear fuel materials chemistry…