Tom Ross

NEF CDT Student
Department of Earth Sciences
University of Cambridge

Contact: tjfr2@cam.ac.uk

Sponsor: EPSRC and NWSRSO

Inducing the resumption of alteration in UK radioactive waste glasses

Tom joined Cohort 3 of the EPSRC Nuclear Energy Futures CDT in October 2021, as a PhD student at the University of Cambridge. His work takes place in the Department of Earth Sciences under the supervision of Professor Ian Farnan. His project analyses a particular phenomenon related to nuclear waste glass storage in which the rate of diffusion of elements within nuclear waste glass into ground water can actually increase (unexpectedly), and rather dramatically, after a given period of time (this is known as ‘resumption of alteration’).

Achievements

Recently awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (‘The MBE for Volunteer Groups’), and the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service with Special Recognition.

Highlights

Travelling across the country for various CDT taught modules, and finally (maybe) having the correct crystals for use in future experiments.

Future plans

Take the knowledge and expertise gained from the project into a career in academia or industry.