Environmental uptake of radio-nuclei relevant to the European Spallation Source (ESS)

Background

Detailed studies are currently being undertaken to assess the risk posed by a potential radioactive release from the European Spallation Source (ESS), a large neutron research facility under construction in Lund, Sweden. The ESS will produce neutrons using a powerful particle accelerator shooting protons on a tungsten target. The nuclear reactions in its target, will also produce many radioactive by-products that, in the event of a severe accident, could be released into the environment.

A new and highly multi-disciplinary project has been created through funding from the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority, which will investigate the potential risk of radionuclides, specific to the ESS, entering the food chain through crops commonly cultivated in the farmlands surrounding the ESS site. The project will be jointly conducted by the Ion-physics group at Uppsala University (Sweden), Medical Radiation Physics Malmö at Lund University (Sweden), the Biotechnical Faculty at the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia), and the Department of Low and Medium Energy Physics at the Jožef Stefan Institute (Slovenia). To support this work, undergraduate and post-graduate projects are to be created.

Project goal and work plan

The goal of the student’s work, will be to participate in the start-up of the broader project, performing baseline measurements, analysis and modelling to support the work that will be performed over the next four years. Projects can be catered to suite those with an interest in either simulation and modelling, or experimental and analytical work.

The position will be based at the Ångström laboratory in Uppsala, within the Ion-physics Group. This project provides an excellent opportunity to become acquainted with the broad range of research being conducted within the Ion-physics group, and to make a long-standing contribution to its operation.

The project can be adjusted to correspond to 15, 30 or 45 ECTS credits and can start during either the autumn 2023, or spring 2024 semesters.

Desired qualifications/experience

The applicant should be enrolled on a program at Uppsala University, with a background in either physics, chemistry or environmental science. It is essential that the applicant has excellent skills in both written and spoken English.

Students seeking diploma-work projects at both Master and Bachelor level are encouraged to apply, as are students seeking project work for courses (but such projects must correspond to at least 15 credits). The possibility of paired or group work can be discussed.

For further information please contact:

Robert Frost rob.frost@physics.uu.se