Starting Out: A New Age of Nuclear and Fusion

The first in a series from the IChemE National Early Careers Group profiling early career opportunities in different sectors

THE UK has long had a strong nuclear industry, opening the world’s first commercial nuclear power station at Calder Hall in 1956. Today, there are countless opportunities in the nuclear sector, with small modular reactors (SMRs), advanced modular reactors (AMRs), decommissioning, waste management, medical, defence, and new-build projects all employing thousands. Excitingly, there is also increasing growth in the fusion sector, with the UK targeting 2040 to demonstrate net energy generation with the STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production) prototype fusion energy plant.

But despite the potential, young chemical engineers are often unaware of the opportunities in nuclear and fusion. To learn more about working in the sector, Orla Douds caught up with three engineers to see how they got into the industry and what they love about it.

Can you describe the career path that led to your current role?

Alyssa Fyfe, senior process engineer at Amentum

I hadn’t considered a career within engineering until applying for university and looking into what I could do that involved a lot of maths and chemistry. My grandad actually did a degree in chemical engineering before becoming a chemistry teacher, so he gave me a bit of information.

Whilst doing a Chemical Engineering MEng Honours degree at Newcastle University, I completed a three-month summer placement on a petrochemical plant. I then secured a job on the graduate scheme within the Energy Security & Technology business at Jacobs (now Amentum) and have been at the company since 2021.

Nathan Walsh, chemical engineer at AWE

I went to the University of Manchester where I did a Master’s in Chemical Engineering with a year abroad in Toulouse. I had options for my master’s course and chose Chemical Engineering in Nuclear. In my final year I applied for many, many jobs and the two that got back to me were both nuclear, AWE and the UK National Nuclear Laboratory, so it seemed I was destined to go into the nuclear industry.

Dan Lee-Lane, senior process engineer at UKAEA

I studied for a Master’s in Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London. During my studies, I hadn’t initially considered sustainable energy as a career option, so I didn’t prioritise any modules particularly. However, this didn’t seem to provide a barrier to entry to the fusion industry. After
graduating, I worked for a couple of years in control and instrumentation at a large industrial automation company before deciding that I wanted to focus my career on something environmentally and socially beneficial. After some research into sustainable industries, I discovered that fusion power, something I had previously associated solely with plasma physics, was an industry full of opportunities for chemical engineers. I joined UKAEA as an engineer in 2021 and have developed my expertise through a number of projects
ever since.

Please describe your current role

Alyssa Fyfe: As a senior process engineer at Amentum my typical day varies quite dramatically as I work across multiple projects. At present, I focus a lot of my time on desk-based tasks, specifically with checking work of other process engineers, attending multi-discipline project meetings, and being the main point of contact for junior engineers.

Nathan Walsh: I am a chemical engineer at AWE based within the technical authority which means I review chemical engineering designs and act as the chemical engineering point of contact for different projects. During the graduate scheme at AWE, I got the opportunity to experience both production and labs for some very interesting materials so it’s nice to step back from the operational hazards and manage them in designs.

Dan Lee-Lane: I am a senior process engineer at UKAEA, working on the STEP programme to build a prototype fusion power plant that will demonstrate net energy, fuel self-sufficiency and a viable route to plant maintenance. My role is primarily design-based, utilising the theories, calculations, and best practice that many chemical engineers would already be familiar with. Where it gets really interesting is applying these to entirely novel processes and environments: what’s the most efficient way to freeze hydrogen? Which valves are most compatible with molten metal? What happens if the heat exchanger is installed between two superconducting magnets? These are just some of the questions that engineers in the fusion industry are looking to answer.

What do you think of the nuclear/fusion industry, and do you think you’ll stay in your current industry?

Alyssa Fyfe: I thoroughly enjoy working on projects that help to decommission some of the most complex sites and are at the forefront of nuclear new build. I think I will stay in the nuclear industry as it provides a vast array of work opportunities, which are extremely interesting and rewarding to work on.

Nathan Walsh: With our current nuclear infrastructure ageing, there’s a lot of opportunity to help rebuild the UK’s nuclear industry. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to be at the forefront of new, large-scale projects so I am very much looking forward to staying in the nuclear industry to develop my expertise.

Dan Lee-Lane: I enjoy working in the fusion industry because there are many unique design considerations that I wouldn’t encounter otherwise. This makes my work very interesting and fulfilling. I feel lucky to work alongside colleagues with a range of different backgrounds and disciplines, and to work on a sustainable endeavour that requires global collaboration. As such, I don’t think I will be leaving the industry any time soon.

What’s the most exciting development in your sector that you wish more people knew about?

Alyssa Fyfe: There is a heavy shift in the UK towards nuclear new build and the feasibility of SMRs and AMRs. This is definitely exciting in terms of making a step towards energy security and achieving net zero. It also will provide a lot of opportunities for early career engineers to work within a nuclear setting.

Dan Lee-Lane: Not many people are aware of just how much emphasis is being placed on fusion energy by governments and the private sector around the world. The UK has already selected a site for the first fusion power plant – West Burton in Nottinghamshire – and set out its proposals for fusion energy regulation, while the US, Japan, Canada and Germany have all recently released industrial strategies for commercial-scale fusion power. The number of private fusion startups has increased exponentially between 2015 and 2025.

Nathan Walsh: While there’s all the excitement around SMRs and new fusion plants, I think one of the quieter developments has been using nuclear power to provide energy for hydrogen electrolysis. In the US, a recently reversed decision means that nuclear plants can get tax credits for producing clean hydrogen. This helps encourage further investment into nuclear power stations to provide more constant power and provides assurance to hydrogen industries that they will have constant power for their electrolysis. There are many challenges to this that chemical engineers can help solve – from material science to hydrogen safety and storage. I’m looking forward to seeing how nuclear can integrate itself with future industries to provide reliable power.