What if you could work with remarkable people on extraordinary things? What if the end result was something a little bit special? What if your role was mission critical?
For nearly 70 years, AWE has been at the forefront of nuclear weapons research and development. We have a critical mission: to provide the warheads for the UK’s ultimate deterrent – Trident. We also use our unique skills to provide wider UK government with counter-terrorism and nuclear threat reduction solutions.
It takes a special sort of person to work at AWE. What if that person was you?
About the Year in Industry
This position is created for university students undertaking a 12-month placement, who will join our Modelling Team in Materials and Analytical Science.
Materials and Analytical Science at AWE supports the life cycle of warhead components and technologies to ensure the reliability of the UK's strategic deterrent and national security mission. A nuclear warhead contains a vast range of materials including metals, ceramics, inorganic salts, rubbers, foams, adhesives, high explosives and radioactive substances. Materials and Analytical Science is critical to understanding and predicting the behaviour of these types of materials under various conditions.
As Materials & Systems Modeller, you will have the opportunity to work in an exciting part of AWE through projects which may include working on a range of models and codes, utilising several coding languages, on the full model development lifecycle, helping to deliver our mission.
The role is designed to help you gain experience in:
- Working with other Materials and Analytical Scientists to characterise material ageing processes, proposing approaches to model the observed trends
- Using a variety of statistical techniques to analyse experimental data
- Writing, developing and running codes written in a range of languages (e.g. MATLAB, Mathematica, OpenFOAM and R)
- Utilising computational techniques for parameter optimisation
- Verifying and validating codes by identifying suitable test cases, determining analytical solutions where appropriate
The behaviours you will bring to the team
We are interested in applications from candidates studying for a degree in Mathematics, Physics or Computer Science, as well as Materials Science or Chemistry students who can demonstrate strong maths or programming skills.
- Growth Mindset; You’re full of grit and determination. Clear where you are going and how you will get there.
- Curious; you’re a person who loves to think outside the box. (You’re a person who loves to take the box apart!).
- Innovative; you’re open to learning about new technologies and ground-breaking ideas.
- Resilience; you’re an advocate of ‘speaking up’ for yourself and others openly and constructively.
- Team Worker; you’re dependable and reliable. You’re interested in collaborating with and supporting others.
The benefits
You will have the opportunity to learn from subject matter experts and to develop skills that are applicable across many industries. Successful candidates will receive:
- A salary of £22,250
- A market leading contributory pension scheme. We will pay between 9% and 13% of your pensionable pay depending on your own contribution.
- Every second Friday off. We do this by working a 41-hour week followed by a 33-hour week.
- 270 hours of annual leave a year, that includes an allowance for bank holidays.
- Access to the employee discounts portal – everyday savings on retail, hospitality and leisure.
Start date
Undergraduate Placement Induction start date will be August 2025, so please avoid taking leave during this period if you are successful. This role is offered on a 12-month contract.
Recruitment process
We recruit on a rolling basis which means as soon as our positions have been filled, the scheme will close to new applications. So, please apply as soon as possible to avoid missing out!
Candidates must be willing and able to obtain and maintain the necessary security clearance for the role. Please note that you must be a British National to apply for a role with us.
Our ambition is to create workplaces where we recognise and celebrate differences, encourage diverse contributions and our employees feel able to be themselves at work. We strive to create a genuine culture of openness and inclusion and encourage diverse applicants.
Any inclusion information you provide us will be used to encourage and support you through the application process and will be held only for this purpose in accordance with GDPR.
Contact us
If you have questions during the application process, please reach out to the Early Careers Team at EarlyCareers@awe.co.uk
Please note that you must be a British Citizen to apply for a role with us.
Our ambition is to create workplaces where we recognise and celebrate differences, encourage diverse contributions and our employees feel able to be themselves at work. We strive to create a genuine culture of openness and inclusion and encourage diverse applicants. Any inclusion information you provide us will be used to encourage and support you through the application process and will be held only for this purpose in accordance with GDPR.
