Do you know someone who has recently completed a PhD in nuclear science and engineering? You are invited to nominate a candidate for 2027 competition to represent the UK.
The European Nuclear Society (ENS) organises an annual Award to recognise an outstanding PhD thesis work. The ENS High Scientific Council (HSC) acts as the Selection Committee, and the Nuclear Institute, as the UK Member of the ENS, nominates the UK candidate for this prestigious award.
UK candidates will be assessed by an NI team headed by Professor Laurence Williams OBE FREng FNucI, a member of the ENS High Scientific Council.
The successful candidate will become the UK Nominee for the HSC PhD award. A UK nominee won the award in 2020, with the 2026 nominee reaching the European final. The winner of the 2026 competition was Dr Connor Beer from the University of Liverpool.
The winner of the UK competition will receive:
- Progression to the European final (further prize details below)
- Invitation to the Nuclear Institute Awards ceremony 2027
- Invitation to contribute a technical paper to the Nuclear Future journal
You are invited to nominate a candidate for 2027 competition.
ENS HSC PhD Award Criteria
- The competition is open for candidates, who have obtained a PhD in the field of nuclear science and engineering from a UK University.
- Only candidates who obtained a PhD degree after April 2024 are eligible for the competition.
Documents to be provided (in English)
- CV, including a contact email and phone number of the candidate.
- A copy of the Ph.D. Diploma/Certificate showing the date it was awarded.
- A recommendation letter from the person who is nominating the candidate. The letter should introduce the PhD work and highlight its significance in the research field, its originality, its importance and the impact of the results of the PhD.
- An extended summary of the PhD thesis.
- A copy of any accepted publication directly related to the candidate’s PhD studies.
UK Nomination Process
- Nominations open in October 2026 with deadline of 31st January 2027.
- Nominations should be sent to Professor Laurence Williams OBE FREng FNucI via l.williamsobe@bangor.ac.uk and copied to ceo@nuclearinst.com
- The NI will submit a successful UK candidate to the HSC in Spring 2027.
- In April 2027 the ENS HSC will select four shortlisted candidates.
- In Autumn 2027 the four shortlisted candidates will present their PhD thesis’ results to the HSC in Europe. The HSC will apply commonly accepted selection criteria in the selection process.
- The winner of the prestigious ENS HSC PhD Award will be offered a publication in the Open Access Journal EPJ-N and a prize money of €2000..