Radioprotection Engineer

Privately funded and headquartered in London, newcleo was launched in 2021 – and since raised a total of EUR 400m – to be an innovator in the field of nuclear energy. Its mission is to generate safe, clean, economic and practically inexhaustible energy for the world, through a radically innovative combination of existing, accessible technologies.

With visionary co-founders, newcleo capitalises on thirty years of R&D activity in metal-cooled fast reactors and liquid-lead cooling systems, and our senior management and advisory team can boast hundreds of years in cumulative hands-on experience.

newcleo’s technology, mostly comprising a novel approach to already qualified solutions, addresses equally well the three challenges affecting the nuclear industry to date: waste, safety and cost.

• Waste: fast reactors are capable of efficient use of depleted uranium, plutonium and Minor Actinides. When operated with MOX fuel generated from reprocessed nuclear waste, newcleo’s reactors not only ensure sustainability by closing the fuel cycle, but can also boost energy independence.
• Safety: lead-cooled reactors operate at atmospheric pressure. The properties of lead (thermal capacity and conductivity, boiling point, chemically inert, low neutron activation, shielding properties) together with newcleo’s passive safety systems ensure very high levels of safety.
• Cost: newcleo’s reactor design has been optimised over the last 20 years leading to the concept of an ultra-compact and transportable 200MWe module with improvements in energy density compared to other technologies. Costs are kept low by means of simplicity, compactness, modularity, atmospheric pressure operation and elevated output temperature.

newcleo is also working to significantly invest in MOX fuel manufacturing in developed countries, extracting energy from the current nuclear industry by-products.

newcleo is ready to develop a new, sustainable, and completely safe way of generating nuclear energy that will help humanity reach zero emissions, and mitigate of global warming.

Overview of the role

Your mission will be to collaborate to the Lead Fast Reactor (LFR) design activities focusing on radiation protection studies and expertise.

In close collaboration with your colleagues, the head of Unit and the colleagues of other technical domains, you will conduct Engineering Studies in the field of Radiation Protection.

Main duties / role and responsibilities

• Source term and activation calculation with inventory and source term code system such as FISPACT.
• Radiation protection calculation: neutron and photon propagation calculation using Monte Carlo or deterministic scientific tools.
• Optimization of biological and neutron shielding.
• Analyse physical phenomena, solve issues encountered, establish appropriate technical position, and propose best solution for the project.
• Perform evaluations including shielding calculations, dose estimates, room classification definition considering ALARA follow-up.
• Writing technical report to present input data, methodology, results, and perspectives.
• Participation to technical meetings.

Key Performance Indicators

• Perform, review and supervise radiation protection studies. Give expertise support in radiation protection to the team.
• Work in close collaboration with colleagues, especially core design team, safety team, and nuclear steam supply system.
• Collaboration: Verify the technical work performed by your peers, provide regular feedback about ongoing activities, actively engage in knowledge sharing with others, participate in drawing up the work program.

Attributes / Experience required

Education:      

• Master degree in Engineering / Sciences, preferably in physics and if possible with nuclear physics specialization.

Languages:    

• English is used for technical document and daily work.
• Italian and/or French are useful.

Experience / Professional requirements:

• More than 5 years of experience in radiation protection.
• Skills with Monte Carlo or deterministic scientific tools to support radiation protection calculation.
• Knowledge in nuclear power plant and Fast Reactor in particular is a real advantage.
• Autonomous work and team spirit, co-create with colleagues to increase work efficiency.
• Ability to give technical presentations in team meetings.