Events
We will hold events, such as our annual meeting and topic meetings, to showcase of our latest expertise and research to members of the research community involved in radioactive geological disposal. Sign up to our newsletter to be informed of any future events first.
NWS RSO Annual Conference 2025
The Nuclear Waste Services Research Support Office (RSO) held its latest annual conference in Bristol across two agenda packed days, with a preceding day used to create space for the Early Career Researcher network and mentoring opportunities.
The NWS RSO would like to thank all who travelled to attend the conference for your time, contribution and enthusiasm and of course, to all of the wonderful speakers thank you for bringing so much knowledge and valuable, crucial input.
The conference was held at the outstanding MShed Museum, with attendees having the opportunity to enjoy an evening meal in the historic Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, along with a talk delivered by Dr Peter Bryant (Decommissioning and Radiological Specialist, EDF Nuclear New Build).
Kath Morris, Director of the RSO, and Kat Raines, NWS RSO Lead opened the conference by bringing delegates up to speed on the past year as well as highlighting exciting and imminent opportunities. Their presentation reintroduced delegates to the Core Team who are members of the University of Manchester, University of Bristol and NWS, as well as proposing a draft structure for the now-confirmed RSO Renewal. It was agreed that there is space for discussion across the RSO to solidify the structure of research themes and fill key roles moving forward. There was also a celebration of the collaborations taking place across industry and academia, facilitated through the RSO.




The 2025 Agenda
Below you can find details of the two day agenda along with links to any presentations we have been given permission to share.
Day one - Wednesday 15th January 2025
Day 1 – Wednesday 15th January 2025
09:00 Registration and Refreshments
09:30 Welcome and Housekeeping: Paddy Hackett (RSO Project Manager)
09:35 RSO Updates – Highlights and Opportunities: Katherine Morris (RSO Director)
09:50 NWS Keynote Presentation: Paul Shipley (Head of Design Authority, NWS)
10:30 Advanced Manufacturing discipline update
Steve Jones (Theme Lead) and Tom Peacock (NWS SME)
10:35 Potential Role of Digital Twins in Seeking Consensus for Geological Disposal Facility Siting
Kristof Bartha (University of Manchester)
10:50 The RSO – New Organisation and Scope: Kat Raines (NWS RSO Senior Research Manager)
11:05 Break
11:30 Radiochemistry discipline update
Andrew Cundy (Theme Lead) and Will Bower (NWS SME)
11:35 Uranium speciation in magnesium potassium phosphate cement (MKPC) leachates
Raphael Margreiter (University of Manchester)
11:50 Environmental Science discipline update
David Copplestone (Theme Lead) & Kat Raines (NWS SME)
11:55 The Ballidon glass burial experiment: A model for HLW glass behaviour in complex natural systems
Garry Manifold (University of Sheffield)
12:10 Introduction to LLWR environmental monitoring and land quality
James Champion (LLWR Repository Ltd)
12:30 Poster Introductions
13:00 Lunch and Poster Session
14:30 Keynote Presentation – Nagra’s Safety Case: Shaped and Supported by Decades of Research Development and Demonstration
Dr. Olivier Leupin, Nagra, Switzerland
15:10 Materials Science discipline update
Ian Farnan (Theme Lead) and NWS SME
15:15 Inducing the Resumption of Alteration in Simulant UK Radioactive Waste Glasses
Tom Ross (University of Cambridge)
15:30 Probing the Relative Durability of Zirconolite Polytypes
Ismail Aldean (University of Sheffield)
15:45 Break
16:00 Panel Session: Communicating nuclear related research and understanding to different stakeholders
Chair: Adrian Bull
Peter Bryant, Penny Harvey, Amy Shelton, Eugenie Turton & Mary Bradley
17:00 Close
Day two - Thursday 16th January 2025
Day 2 – Thursday 16th January
09:00 Welcome: Kat Raines (NWS RSO lead)
09:05 NWS R&D Update
Fiona McEvoy (NWS)
09:20 GeoSafe: Towards Safe Geological Disposal of Radioactive Waste in Low-Strength Sedimentary Rocks
Robert Zimmerman (Theme Lead)
09:25 GeoSafe: Towards Safe Geological Disposal of Radioactive Waste in LSSRs / Challenge 1 Geological Isolation
Daniel Faulkner (University of Liverpool) and Andrew Wiseall (NWS SME)
09:35 GeoSafe: Towards Safe Geological Disposal of Radioactive Waste in LSSRs / Challenge 2 Contaminated Pathways
Sam Shaw (NWS RSO Manchester Lead) and Will Bower (NWS SME)
09:45 GeoSafe: Towards Safe Geological Disposal of Radioactive Waste in LSSRs / Challenge 3 Mathematical Modelling
Steve Baxter (NWS) and Adriana Paluszny Rodriguez (Imperial College London)
09:55 Geoscience discipline update
Kevin Taylor (Theme Lead) and Andrew Cooke (NWS SME)
10:00 Multi-scale characterisation of the lower northwest Mercia Mudstone Group; Natural Fractures in the Mercia Mudstone Group
Holly Mills (University of Manchester) and Jonathon McEvoy (University of Liverpool)
10:20 Sub-Surface Engineering discipline update
Rebecca Lunn (Theme Lead) and Oliver Colbeck (NWS SME)
10:25 Novel Technologies for Improved Borehole Sealing at Proposed Geological Disposal Facility Locations
Nicholas Mutahi (University of Strathclyde)
10:40 Break
11:00 Panel Session: ECR experience in communication and outreach
Chair: Luke Townsend
Ismail Aldean (University of Sheffield), Sannah van Balen (University of Cambridge), Meg Hicks (South West Nuclear Hub), Adriana Paluszny Rodriguez (Imperial College London), Callum Robinson (University of Manchester)
11:45 ANDRA GDF Programme
Jacques Delay (Senior Expert at the Scientific and Technical Direction of Andra)
12:15 Benefits Realisation: Kat Raines (NWS RSO Senior Research Manager), Sam Shaw (RSO Manchester Lead), Aaron Soriano (NWS)
12:35 Group Photo
12:40 Lunch
13:40 Poster Winners Announced
13:45 Geological Disposal Facility Policy
Dawn Armstrong (Nuclear Decommissioning and Radioactive Substances Policy Team, DESNZ
14:10 Social Science discipline update
Penny Harvey (Theme Lead)
14:15 The ICRP Principles of Justification and Optimisation in the UK
Sannah van Balen (University of Cambridge)
14:35 Geo-Technical / Engineered Barriers discipline update
Majid Sedighi (Theme Lead) and Matthew Kirby (NWS SME)
14:40 Microstructural changes to hydrothermally aged encapsulation and backfill grouts under repository conditions
Tom Budd
14:55 Conference Feedback Survey Completion and Closing Remarks
Katherine Morris and Kat Raines
15:30 Bristol Lab Tour
Claire Corkhill (NWS RSO Bristol Lead)
17:00 CLOSE
Posters
Whilst the agenda itself contained a significant showcase of current research within presentations, attendees were also given the opportunity to browse and ask questions around 40 plus posters designed and presented by RSO PhD students. You can find the titles of those posters and details of the three successful winners of the NWS RSO poster competition here!
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