Year in Industry- Analytical Radiochemistry

AWE; Aldermaston; On-site; GBP 21,000 - 28,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Market-leading pension

Generous holiday entitlement

9-day working fortnight

Employee discounts portal

Learning and development opportunities

Job summary

AWE in Aldermaston is offering a 12‑month Year in Industry placement for Analytical and Radiochemist students. You will work with world‑class scientists on analytical capabilities and regulatory compliance in a lab environment.

Placements are split into two tracks: Dosimetry or Radiometrology, with a start date of 2 August 2027. Applications welcome from students pursuing Chemistry, Physics or related fields who expect at least a 2:2 by August 2026.

Qualifications

• Candidates are working towards a relevant degree in chemistry, physics or environmental science.
• Minimum 2:2 degree classification by August 2026 is required.
• Willingness to engage in analytical radiochemistry projects and regulatory compliance.

Responsibilities

• Support analytical capabilities and provide expert advice within the radiochemistry team.
• Gain exposure to gamma spectroscopy, liquid scintillation counting and alpha spectroscopy.
• Collaborate with scientists to ensure regulatory and licence condition compliance.

Skills

Growth mindset

Curious

Innovative

Resilience

Team worker

Education

Chemistry

Environmental Science

Physics

Combined Chemistry and Physics

Minimum 2:2 degree by August 2026

Job description

Year in Industry Placement - Analytical and Radiochemist

Salary

£24,500 per annum plus benefits

Location

Aldermaston, near Reading

Contract

12 months

Start date

2 August 2027

Working pattern

9-day working fortnight

About AWE

What if you could work with remarkable people on extraordinary things?What if the end result was something a little bit special?What if your role was mission critical?

Forover75years, AWE has been at the forefront of nuclear weapons research and development.We have a critical mission: to provide the warheads for the UK’s ultimate deterrent, Trident. We also use our unique skills to provide wider UK government withcounter-terrorismand nuclear threat reduction solutions.

It takes a special sort of person to work at AWE. What if that personwasyou?

Role purpose

As a Radiochemistry undergraduate student, you will work with world-class scientists in an exciting part of AWE that provides a wide range of analytical capabilities and expert advice to AWE, government agencies and external customers, while ensuring AWE meets regulatory andlicencecondition compliance requirements.

Placement opportunities

There are twoplacements available and you will be placed into one of these depending on your degree/modules:

Dosimetry placement

The Internal Dosimetry Services Team forms part of AWE’s Dosimetry Service and supports theorganisation’sApproved Dosimetry Service. The team provides radiological analysis of bioassay and workplace monitoring samples to assess potential internal exposure to radioactive materials. The service supports regulatory compliance and contributes to the assessment and recording of radiation doses for workers.

You may gain exposure to liquid scintillation counters, alpha spectrometers, HPLC systems, furnaces, analyticalbalancesand standard laboratory equipment including fume cupboards, pipettes,centrifugesand hot plates.

Radiometrologyplacement

This laboratory-based placement involves measurements through gamma spectroscopy, liquid scintillationcountingand alpha spectroscopy. There may also be opportunities to undertakemodellingand coding. Training will be provided, sopreviousexperience is beneficial but notrequired. You will learn how the team interacts withstakeholders, including local teams with differentexpertise, theprogrammesthat commission work, and how this connects to government requirements.

Entry requirements

We are interested in candidates working towards a degree in:

• Chemistry
• Environmental Science
• Physics
• Combined Chemistry and Physics
• Before starting with AWE, you must be able to provide evidence that you have achieved a minimum 2:2 degreeclassification, or equivalent academic performance to date, by August 2026.

Most importantly, we are looking for enthusiastic individuals who are keen to get involved in interesting research and tasks.

Behavioursand qualities

You willpossessthe following traits and qualities:

• Growth mindset: You are full of grit and determination, clear about where you are going and how you will get there.
• Curious: You love to think outside thebox, andmay even want to take the box apart.
• Innovative: You are open to learning aboutnew technologiesand ground-breaking ideas.
• Resilience: You advocate speaking up for yourself and others openly and constructively.
• Team worker: You are dependable and reliable, and interested in collaborating with and supporting others.

Salary and benefits

• £24,500 salary.
• A market-leading contributory pension scheme.
• Generous holiday entitlement.
• Excellent work-life balance.
• A 9-day working fortnight, meaning you get every other Friday off work.
• Access to an employeediscountsportal, offering everyday savings on leisure,hospitalityand retail.

Alongside these benefits, you will have the opportunity to learn from some of the top leaders in their field.

Recruitment process and key dates

• Online application: Choose the pathway that best matches your interests and goals.
• Online assessment: If eligible, complete numerical, verbal, logical and cognitive reasoning assessments. Practice materials will be available.
• Virtual assessment centre: Successful candidates will be invited to a virtual assessment centre duringNovember and December 2026.
• Pre-assessment support: Receivewebinarguidanceso you know what to expect.
• Offer and clearance: Successful candidates will complete offer and security-clearance stages before joining in August 2027.

Security requirements

You must be a UK national holding a UK passport to be eligible to apply to AWE. You must have lived in the UK for 10 years to apply for Developed Vetting (DV) clearance for this role.

Inclusion and diversity

Our ambition is to create workplaces where werecogniseand celebrate differences, encourage diversecontributionsand enable employees to feel able to be themselves at work. We strive to create a genuine culture of openness and inclusion and encourage diverse applicants.

Anyinclusioninformation you provide will be used to encourage and support you through the application process and will be held only for this purposein accordance withGDPR.

Important things you need to know:

• You will need to obtain and maintain the necessary security clearance for the role. This will be funded by AWE. The nature of our work does mean you need to be a British Citizen who has been resident in the UK for the past 5 years in order to apply for SC clearance and 10 years for DV.
• Our interviews typically take place over Teams and for most roles are a 1 stage process.

Our ambition is to create workplaces where we recognise and celebrate differences, encourage diverse contributions and our employees feel able to be themselves at work. We strive to create a genuine culture of openness and inclusion and encourage diverse applicants. Any inclusion information you provide will be stored in accordance with GDPR and kept separate from your application form and CV, and the information will not be shared with anyone involved in interviewing or making hiring decisions.

Please note that you must be a British Citizen to apply for a role with us.