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Student exchange between South West Nuclear Hub and Materials Ageing Institute

27 April 2018

Two students on the MSc Nuclear Science and Engineering programme undertook a week-long exchange at the Material Ageing Institute (MAI), EDF Lab Les Renardières, Paris in early 2018.

Two students on the MSc Nuclear Science and Engineering programme undertook a week-long exchange at the Material Ageing Institute (MAI), EDF Lab Les Renardières, Paris in early 2018.

The students, Rachael Matthews and Tianyi Li, are part of the South West Nuclear Hub which has a three-year training agreement with the EDF Materials Ageing Institute.

Student Perspective from Tianyi Li

“I applied for this opportunity because I thought it would provide a great opportunity to network and to further develop my commercial awareness of the nuclear energy sector.

In addition, I am now motivated to learn French as my third language, because I realised how important the role France plays is in the international nuclear sector.

I would recommend this opportunity to future students; at the end of the day, if nothing was taken away, the experiences are valuable. There is nothing to lose in my opinion".

A full account of the exchange by Tianyi Li can be found on the South West Nuclear Hub website.

Feedback from the MAI

Hing Ip Wong, Director of the MAI, said:

“MAI was very proud to welcome for the first time two students from Bristol. The feedback from students and MAI lecturers was excellent. By opening the course to Bristol’s students, we are enriching MAI with high level participants. I'm looking forward to welcoming the next exchange from Bristol”.

South West Nuclear Hub and the EDF Materials Ageing Institute Partnership

Every year, two or more students will be offered the opportunity to go to the MAI for a week to receive high-end nuclear training. This will be delivered by both academics and industrial stakeholders such as EDF or the French Regulatory Authority.

Courses are taught in English, and students attend the course alongside MSc students from the Grenoble’s Institut Nationale de Physique.

More information on this agreement can be found here: https://southwestnuclearhub.ac.uk/teaching/international-opportunities/

Further information

About the Materials Ageing Institute

The Materials Ageing Institute is a utility-oriented research centre founded by EDF in 2008 and co-financed by partners from the USA, Russia, UK, Japan and France. The main purpose of this collaborative effort is to bring together scientific skills and research facilities to address ageing of materials used in electric power plants, and particularly in nuclear power plants.

About the South West Nuclear Hub

The South West Nuclear Hub provides a focus for nuclear innovation, research and teaching in the south west of the UK. The Hub incorporates the existing collaboration between the Universities of Bristol and Oxford, the Nuclear Research Centre (NRC).

With a dedicated building, opened in summer 2016 at the University of Bristol, the Hub has introduced a step-change across Higher Education in the region to accelerate and grow nuclear research and teaching activities. The Hub provides a common location for academia, industry and goglvernment to come together to meet the opportunities and challenges facing nuclear energy in the UK.

Within the Hub, the NRC continues to actively pursue collaborative research opportunities in the UK and internationally. New and existing industrial partners are committing support for the Centre’s long-term research vision by establishing strategic relationships.

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