Bangor University has been awarded one of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Doctoral Focal Awards in Nuclear Skills, securing funding to establish PANDA (the Programme for Accelerating Nuclear Development and Applications).
The £9 million awarded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the Ministry of Defence and UK Research and Innovation will be matched by support from major nuclear organisations, including Rolls-Royce Submarines, the UK Atomic Energy Authority and TWI, to deliver a £24 million programme training up to 100 PhD students.
PANDA will be delivered by Bangor University in partnership with the United Kingdom National Nuclear Laboratory and the universities of Bristol, Birmingham, Cambridge, Derby, Imperial College London and Manchester. Together, these partners will support a new generation of researchers equipped to meet the UK’s future nuclear and clean‑energy needs, including a specific focus on defence.
This is a significant step for Bangor, North Wales and the UK. Through PANDA, we will shorten the time it takes for a researcher to take a good idea and turn it into something that provides genuine benefit to society. We will train up to 100 PhD graduates in the most modern methods and equip them with the leadership skills to be able to innovate and deliver immediate impact when they enter the UK’s diverse nuclear programmes in the very near future.
To meet the scale of the UK’s nuclear requirements, PANDA operates alongside the other nuclear doctoral focal awards announced today. Bangor is proud to be a member of the DRIVERS and SATURN II DFAs (led by Imperial College London and University of Manchester, respectively).
Professor Paul Spencer, Pro Vice Chancellor Research added, “Bangor University is playing a leading role in shaping the UK’s nuclear future through its leadership of this major national programme. The type of skills we will provide are urgently needed to deliver innovative first of a kind technology, such as the Rolls-Royce Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) at Wylfa. This work places Bangor University at the forefront of UK and global nuclear innovation and underscores the University’s role in shaping the next generation of clean energy.”
“We will provide world‑class supervision, facilitate collaboration with leading nuclear organisations and provide effective pathways into high‑value careers within a sector central to the UK’s future prosperity”.
PANDA is accepting applications for fully funded PhD opportunities, across a broad range of disciplines to start in October 2026.
For more information, visit https://www.bangor.ac.uk/panda
