Nuclear Engineer

A nuclear engineer (sometimes known as a power plant engineer) works at the very heart of a nuclear power station. Nuclear engineers work in multi-disciplinary teams, often solving complex scientific equations and ensuring the plant and its equipment are up-to-standard.

What is a nuclear engineer?

A nuclear engineer runs, maintains, designs, engineers and, occasionally, de-commissions nuclear power stations. The role of a nuclear engineer will largely depend on where they work.

No one nuclear engineering job is the same as the next. One nuclear engineer could be designing new systems and equipment, one could be working on the maintenance of the station’s existing equipment, and others could be improving the sustainability and stability of the station.

Which area of nuclear engineering you want to specialise in is down to you. You may decide to focus more on health and safety or on how to operate the reactor. The nuclear engineering jobs you choose usually depend on how many years you have worked in nuclear energy and the needs of the company you work for.

Safety is the name of the game as a nuclear engineer. You will be responsible for the handling and subsequent disposal of radioactive material and safely decommissioning nuclear power plants.

Responsibilities

A nuclear engineer has a wide range of responsibilities in their role. These responsibilities may change depending on who you are working for.

The primary responsibilities of a nuclear engineer are:

• Ensure that responsibility standards are in place to prevent unethical disposal of nuclear/radioactive material.
• Ensure you comply with European Union (EU), and national and international compliance rulings.
• Have a complete understanding of the science behind how nuclear facilities work.
• Liaise with nuclear technicians, nuclear physicists and nuclear systems design engineers.
• Maintain equipment.
• Overcome operational and design flaws and work out how to fix them for future equipment.
• Oversee construction, design and maintenance of nuclear power stations.
• Use mathematical and statistical modelling to run projects.
• Write detailed reports on the facilities, processes and any situations that arise.

These responsibilities can change as you move into more senior roles. At senior level, you will also be responsible for training new recruits, managing budgets, advertising for graduate nuclear jobs and for reporting directly to board level.

Salary

The salary you can earn as a nuclear engineer will depend on several key factors. Where you are working and who you are working for are key influences, as is the level of education you have. Those with prior experience in similar or related roles will also have a better chance at a higher salary.

The starting salary for a nuclear engineer generally starts at around £25,000^[1]. This salary can rise fairly quickly with enough experience.

The average nuclear engineer salary is around £52,000. However, with experience and enough time in a specific role, you could earn as much as £160,000^[2].

Qualifications

This is a job that requires at least an undergraduate degree. It is possible to have an engineering-related higher national certificate (HNC) or higher national diploma (HND), but you will need to apply for junior roles before you can move higher.

For those looking to study at university, the best subjects to study are:

• Chemical engineering degrees
• Chemistry degrees
• Civil engineering degrees
• Electrical engineering degrees
• Engineering degrees
• Mathematics degrees
• Mechanical engineering degrees
• Nuclear engineering degrees
• Physics degrees

These subjects can also be studied at a postgraduate level. Postgraduate courses also allow nuclear graduates to specialise in other areas to increase their knowledge.

Not all universities in the UK offer nuclear-related courses, however. Nuclear subjects are highly advanced courses and are only offered by a specific set of universities, which are:

• Defence Academy of the United Kingdom
• Imperial College London
• Lancaster University
• Nottingham Trent University
• Nuclear Technology Education Consortium (NTEC)
• Open University
• University of Birmingham
• University of Bristol
• University of Cambridge
• University of Central Lancashire
• University of Cumbria
• University of Dundee
• University of Leeds
• University of Liverpool
• The University of Manchester
• University of Sheffield
• University of Surrey
• University of the West of Scotland

You do not need to have studied a nuclear-related course at university. Despite this, you must have as much relevant experience as possible besides your degree - nuclear engineering apprenticeships are very useful for this.

Training and development

You will primarily be responsible for your training and development. Your employer will likely have a number of training programmes provided for you, including refresher courses, however, it is up to you to keep them abreast of any potential courses you find that you feel could be useful.

As this is a regulated industry, you will be required to complete an annual continuing professional development. Most companies in this industry will insist you complete it as a form of training.

Skills

A nuclear engineer needs some very specific skills and they are hugely important. As you work in your role, you will also find that you will pick up new skills on top of the ones you already have.

The skills needed to become a nuclear engineer are:

• Adaptability.
• An ability to work under pressure.
• Drive.
• Excellent analytical skills.
• Excellent mathematical skills.
• Excellent problem-solving skills.
• Flexibility.
• Strong IT skills.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• The ability to work on your own.
• The ability to work with others.

These skills can be further honed through training and development.

Work experience

Work experience is hugely beneficial. Even minor experience on a nuclear engineer apprenticeship can be useful and can also lead to nuclear graduate jobs post-university.

Employers do not necessarily accept work placements. Most degrees include a work placement for students to consider, which can prove beneficial for those looking to enter the industry after university, but post-education experience is considered more desirable.

Pre-university work experience or nuclear apprenticeships are possible but difficult to come by. This is generally down to the advanced health and safety regulations in place, although you may be able to meet with nuclear engineers and technicians outside their work environment to discuss your options.

Career prospects

Your career path is entirely down to you. Most nuclear employers tend to have more structured progression paths than other industries. The pathways you have at a company primarily depend on the company itself and their progression path for you.

Moving into senior roles will grant you the chance to train new engineers. You will have the opportunity to oversee budgets, manage building projects, and create new processes for engineers and technicians.

This career also opens up other potential avenues for you in other industries. For example, you can work as a radiologist or as a civil engineer, though the latter may require you to have studied a civil engineering course beforehand, and you may also want to look into gaining incorporated (IEng) or chartered (CEng) engineer status beforehand.