Neil Hyatt was appointed as Aegis Professor of Deep Time Science and Engineering in August 2023, based in the School of Earth Sciences in the Faculty of Science and Engineering.  

Neil is Chief Scientific Adviser to Nuclear Waste Services (NWS), which focuses on the safe and secure management and disposal of the UK’s radioactive waste legacy, and is part of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) group. NWS operates the Low-Level Waste Repository, is accountable for delivery of the Geological Disposal Facility for the UK’s higher activity waste and is leading the development of new waste treatments. 

As Chief Scientific Adviser, Neil is accountable for ensuring scientific and technical evidence informs programme decision making and risk management. He also has oversight of the integrity and ethical practice of science within NWS, to maintain confidence and trust in people, processes, and products.  Neil acts as the senior external ambassador for the organisation in national and international fora, and also works with counterparts across the NDA group, to ensure emerging external risks are recognised and actioned.   

Prior to joining Nuclear Waste Services, Neil was an internationally recognised leader in the field of radioactive waste management and disposal research, at The University of Sheffield.  He latterly held a Royal Academy of Engineering / NDA Research Chair (2011-2022), was Head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (2015-18), and inaugural Director of Research for the flagship Energy Institute (2019-22).  Neil was previously a Ministerial appointment to the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (2019-22) and Nuclear Innovation Research Advisory Board (2013-21), providing strategic advice on radioactive waste management and disposal to HM Government.  He is currently adjunct Professor of Nuclear Materials in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Washington State University, Pullman. 

The golden thread running through Neil’s research is the understanding of structure – property relations in materials and their evolution with external environments, over deep time timescales.  He is particularly interested in the solid-state chemistry of technetium and the actinides, and the impact of radiation damage on materials, relevant to radioactive waste disposal.  His research has supported delivery of nuclear decommissioning and waste management across the globe. 

As an Aegis Professor, Neil will support the School of Earth Sciences - and wider Faculty - in realising its objectives relating to energy and the environment, through provision of strategic advice.  More broadly he will support mentoring of students, staff and ECRs, facilitation of collaboration across organisations, and promotion of the value of research and research impact in an industrial and government context.