Geologist / Geoscientist

Job Introduction

This role is for a talented geologist or geoscientist (or similar) in the NNL Environmental Chemistry team based at the Chadwick House site in Warrington (although other NNL sites possible).  This is an important role working closely with Technical Leads and team members which will also require interaction with a range of internal and external customers.  Key day-to-day tasks in support of customer funded projects will include the characterisation, interpretation and 3D modelling of the geology of a variety of nuclear sites, related to contaminated land and radioactive waste management, including geological disposal; undertaking on-site and off-site geological characterisation field surveys. 

The successful candidate will also have a strong focus on data interpretation and analysis and will provide expert articulation of findings and results to our customers.  In addition, there will be the opportunity to work on internally and funded R&D projects, author journal publications and contribute towards knowledge exchange activities within the wider nuclear industry.

The successful candidate should have a minimum of a BSc in geology or a geoscience subject and a PhD and post-doctoral experience, illustrating specialism in least one of structural geology, hydrogeology, sedimentology, 3D geological modelling, engineering geology, remote sensing; and demonstrating experience of a variety of national and international geological settings (including Quaternary geology), and of interpretation and 3D modelling of a wide range of data, including geophysical and non-standard data. 

The role will provide the opportunity to contribute to a range of land quality and characterisation projects for several key customers and supports technical leads and project managers to identify requirements, writing proposals for research and other customer work, providing characterisation data, data analysis, technical report writing, cross team communication.

The successful candidate will also be expected to lead and contribute to internal and externally-funded R&D programmes, act as Co-I and co-supervise PhD projects.

Main Responsibilities

• Undertake duties as directed by the Capability Manager, Technical Lead and/or Lead Technologist. 
• Interface with Customers to develop project work and maintain relationships. 
• Participate in the delivery of a range of projects supporting the 3D characterisation of geology (and potentially hydrogeology), and remote sensing for contaminated land and deep geological disposal studies.
• Undertake on-site characterisation operations including geological surveys.  
• Define and contribute to characterisation proposals and programmes.
• Define, lead and deliver related internal and collaborative research projects including supporting team members and co-supervising PhD students.
• Carry out analysis of results, interpretation and 3D modelling, produce, deliver and present on technical reports.
• Prepare safety paperwork and documentation and liaise with relevant stakeholders to ensure the safe delivery of work.
• Develop and maintain own expertise.

The Ideal Candidate

Essential Skills / Qualifications:

• Minimum qualification: BSc in geology, geoscience, or engineering geology and PhD and post-doctoral experience in the following is essential: geology, structural geology, sedimentology, stratigraphy, geophysics, remote sensing, environmental geology, 3D geological modelling.
• Proven ability to analyse data and act upon findings.
• Proven ability to present technical information to others in the technical community, customers and academia where necessary. 
• Good problem solving, analytical thinking and decision-making skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a team environment.
• Strong computer skills including proficiency in MS Office. 
• Proven ability to communicate effectively. 

Desirable Skills / Qualifications:

• Experience/expertise in hydrogeology and/or hydrogeochemistry
• Member of a professional institute (e.g. Geological Society). Preferably chartered or working towards chartership 
• Full clean driver’s license and willing to travel.

About The Company

Grounded in robust science and decades of experience, National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) is the authoritative voice in the UK and beyond for technological development within the nuclear power sector.

Our unparalleled understanding of the science, challenges and opportunities makes us an unrivalled authority and partner in the field, providing experts, technologies, and access to cutting-edge facilities to organisations around the world.

Harnessing potential technologies and translating them into to industry-ready solutions means our pioneering approach spearheads international improvement and technological progress.

We work on projects as small as drilling a hole to analyse underground wastes with our integrated micro drilling technology, or as large as developing state-of-the-art power systems for spacecraft, based on radioactive materials

NNL has a vision for Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity (ED&I) where NNL aims to be an inclusive workplace that attracts diverse talent through transparent and equal policies and procedures. We want you and the diverse mix of people that we employ, customers that we service and stakeholders that we influence to feel valued. We encourage a workplace culture where everyone can thrive with a sense of belonging.