Professor Claire Corkhill

Winner: 2023 Environment, Sustainability and Energy mid-career Prize

University of Sheffield

For advances in ceramic and glass materials for the safe immobilisation of radioactive waste through fundamental understanding of surface degradation processes, and advancing multi-stakeholder relationships to embed materials science in government policy.

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Uranium has advanced our understanding of radioactivity for practical applications related to medicine, agriculture and space exploration.

The success of future nuclear energy generation, thought to be a low CO₂ energy option, is reliant upon the safe disposal of radioactive waste. Government policy is that radioactive waste, generated from nuclear energy, should be buried in a deep underground facility to keep it safely away from humans over the hundreds of thousands of years that it will be radioactive. Professor Corkhill’s research tests the safety of this approach by measuring how quickly radioactive wastes will dissolve in natural groundwater when they are in such a facility.

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Professor Claire Corkhill is an internationally recognised expert in the corrosion and long-term degradation behaviour of materials developed for the treatment of radioactive waste.

With a life-long interest in natural sciences, Claire obtained a degree in geology and a PhD in mineralogy and geochemistry at The University of Manchester. The latter focused on the chemical dissolution of minerals at mine sites and the associated environmental pollution. In 2011, Claire was appointed postdoctoral researcher in subsurface radionuclide transport at the University of Sheffield.

Her pathway to becoming an independent researcher in radioactive waste material degradation has involved several awards: a Japan Society for the Protection of Science Fellowship (2011) at Kyushu University; a University of Sheffield Vice Chancellor’s Fellowship (2013); and, an EPSRC Early Career Research Fellowship (2016). Claire was appointed Chair in Nuclear Materials Degradation in 2021 and, in September 2023, will take up the post of Chair of Mineralogy and of Radioactive Waste Management at the School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol.

Her expert knowledge in the field of radioactive waste materials has earned her several high profile government advisory roles, including the ministerial appointment to the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero’s Committee on Radioactive Waste Management, and the appointment to HM Treasury’s Energy Working Group. She is a regular contributor to the news media, including several TV documentaries, on matters related to nuclear energy, nuclear accidents and radioactive waste.

Q&A

How did you first become interested in chemistry?

At high school, I had a chemistry teacher called Mr. Owen. He took special delight when the pupils in his class were evacuated by the fire alarm, always set off by some chemical reaction that he performed at the front of the classroom (with the pupils sent behind at least the second row of desks to watch). His glee was infectious and he encouraged my early interest in chemistry deeply. Although I felt less academically gifted in chemistry when compared with other subjects, I couldn't shake a curiosity for it.

As soon as I became aware of how important the chemical sciences are to our natural world, and to understanding the environment and our impact upon it, I was hooked. This has since led me from geochemistry to materials chemistry (and back), from actinides to lanthanides and from mining to radioactive wastes. My message to the younger generation is this -- even if you don't think you are "good" at a subject, if you are curious, pursue it anyway. You never know where it will take you.

What motivates you?

First of all, I am passionate about supporting the delivery of a permanent solution for the safe disposal of radioactive waste generated from nuclear energy. As a society, we have benefited from the generation of electricity from nuclear power for over 70 years and have a responsibility to ensure that the waste – that will be radioactive for thousands to millions of years – is not a burden for future generations. Secondly, I am motivated to use my experience to advise decision makers about future nuclear energy, specifically to ensure that future policy decisions are considerate of the circular economy and that radioactive waste is minimised from the very beginning of the nuclear reactor design process.

Outside of my research, I take an awful lot of motivation from the world around me. Be it grouse chattering on lumpy moorland hills on my Peak District runs, or the swirling surf and craggy cliff tops of the South West coastline, there's nothing more inspiring than the chemistry of nature!

What is your favourite element?

Without a shadow of a doubt, uranium! It's one of the primordial radionuclides and has had a significant influence on our society, particularly through its use in nuclear energy. Uranium has advanced our understanding of radioactivity for practical applications related to medicine, agriculture and space exploration. It has allowed us to study the age of the earth, brought us colourful archaeological glass and ceramic artefacts and even inspired the great Marie Curie. As my PhD students would say, it's one heck of a spicy (radioactive) element!