Research Projects

Postgraduate research topics currently available are listed on the following Research theme(s):

• Nuclear Engineering

Research grants

Research specialisms

• Nuclear graphite

Research themes and Research centers

• Nuclear engineering

Abbie Jones is a Professor of Nuclear Graphite Engineering within the Department of MACE and the Research Area Lead for Nuclear Materials within the Henry Royce Institute for Advanced Materials.   Her research focuses on the fundamental behaviour of nuclear graphite for use in reactor systems. Prof Jones' research team undertakes independent research and advice of graphite behaviour of Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors (AGR) to support the Office for Nuclear Regulation. 
  
Prof Jones' research interests specialise in irradiated damage processes of nuclear graphite involving microstructural and analytical techniques such as Transmission Electron Microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray & Synchrotron Diffraction and Synchrotron tomography with validation through isotopic inventory and materials property modelling to understand structure/property relationships. 

Prof Jones' is actively involved in many UK and international coordinated research programmes, including FP7, EPSRC, Innovate UK and the IAEA.  Prof Jones has attracted over £10 Million in grants as PI and Co-I from various bodies including UK Government, funding councils (UK and EU) and consultancy to support R&D in nuclear.  She is Co-I for a £2M National Nuclear user group facility for Molten Salts in Nuclear Technology and currently has a patent-pending in Graphite decontamination using molten salt processes. Prof. Jones has > 80 journal articles and government / industrial reports including contributions to one U.K. NDA strategy document and three book chapters. Professor Jones’ research underpins one 4* Research Excellence Framework impact case (2015) and leads one Impact Case for REF 2021.  Abbie is also a member of the Graphite Technical Advisory Committee for the ONR, a committee member and work package leader of an IAEA International decommissioning network on Irradiated Graphite Processing Approaches (GRAPA) and has extensive collaborations with the UK and worldwide industrial nuclear organisations.   

• Irradiation Damage in Nuclear Graphite
• graphite waste treament and disposal
• 14C and 3H isotopic reduction
• Microstructural Characterisation
• Transmission electron microscopy
• Raman Spectrscopy
• X-ray & Synchrotron Diffraction
• Synchrotron tomography