On 23rd June, AWE celebrated International Women in Engineering Day – an international awareness campaign which raises the profile of women in engineering and celebrates the amazing things women engineers do. The day also serves to inspire others to embark on a career in engineering. Celebrating its 8th year, International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) began in […]

AWE is delighted to announce the new AWE PLC Board which will be in place from 1 July 2021 when AWE becomes an arms’ length body owned by the Ministry of Defence. The Board will be comprised of: Sir John Manzoni as Chair, Alison Atkinson as AWE Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Nicole Kett […]

My coming out experience differs quite a lot between my friends and my family. I was 16 when I came out as transgender to my friends. It was quite easy as I had just started college and most of my friends were different from before, so I was comfortable to be myself almost immediately with […]

Andy Scargill Executive Director of Environment, Safety, Health (ESH) & Quality Today, we’re marking World Environment Day – a national day that encourages worldwide awareness and action to protect our environment. It’s inspiring to see so much passion for protecting the environment with many of us keen to play a part in ensuring the future […]

AWE has surpassed itself by coming 21st in the list of the 2021 Top 25 Best Big Companies to work for – up by three places on its 2019 position! The Best Big Companies award is open to companies with over 2,000 employees – with those achieving the highest Best Companies Index (BCI) scores featuring […]

Last week, we celebrated 61 years of the laser. Colin Danson, Distinguished Scientist at AWE and Academic Access Manager for Orion, spoke to Physics World about the latest in the world of high-power laser development and innovation. Listen to the episode of Physics World Weekly here

Local gardening charity Thrive has received a donation of £11,520 from AWE to benefit clients attending its Reading centre. The donation goes towards client gardeners’ attendance at weekly sessions, where they receive bespoke support from Thrive’s horticultural therapists. Thrive is one of the leading gardening for health charities and has been AWE’s charity partner for […]

AWE scientists have been recently recognised not once, but twice, at the prestigious Women in Defence Awards which saw more than 500 entries this year. Set up as a LinkedIn group in 2011, Women in Defence has become a strong community of women and men focused on the achievements of individuals, teams and organisations working […]

AWE has launched its first Career Returners Programme, which is designed to support experienced professionals return to their field following a career break and help with their transition back to work.   The programme is open to anyone who’s taken a break from their career for two years or more – but is mainly aimed at women who’ve taken time out to bring […]

Sian Butler, Executive Director at AWE, has been honoured at the annual Women in Nuclear UK (WiN UK) Awards.

Like other large organisations, AWE has had to adapt during the pandemic – both as an employer and a responsible business. Throughout the last year, AWE’s sites at Aldermaston and Burghfield have remained operational, but responsive to an ever-changing situation while continuing to support the defence and security of the UK. For our critical workers, […]

Local-based charity, New Beginnings has been chosen by AWE staff as worthy recipients of a £5,000 donation. New Beginnings is a charity focused on the prevention and relief of poverty and financial hardship of persons in Reading and the Greater Berkshire area. Each year AWE staff can nominate local charities or good causes close to […]

An AWE donation to the South Central Ambulance Charity is providing specialist equipment to help Community First Responders with swift responses to medical callouts. A central part of the Charity’s work is the recruiting and training of local volunteers who assist with life threatening emergencies.  The AWE Charity Fund’s donation is supporting local Community First […]

A ground-breaking radiation detection technology, developed to support the UK’s nuclear deterrent, is being made available to nuclear, national security, policing and counter-terrorism organisations. The GMS595 is a sophisticated gamma dose-rate monitor developed by AWE alongside British company JCS Nuclear Solutions. It is the most sensitive gamma radiation monitor available and capable of making fast […]

AWE marked International Women’s Day on March 8 – a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women and raising awareness about gender equality. This year’s theme ‘Choose to Challenge’ was reflected in a series of events. On the day, AWE staff had the opportunity to hear from keynote speaker Zeb […]

AWE is marking British Science Week with new activities that complement our ongoing STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) outreach work with local schools and students. These include our STEM ambassadors and apprentices developing presentations on varied topics, as a visual and engaging way for young learners to discover more about science. This series of presentations […]

New research published in Nature Comms sheds light on a fundamental phenomenon in plasma physics The Universe is full of spectacular events where flowing plasmas – collections of charged ions and electrons – collide, releasing energy as magnetic fields reconfigure and reconnect. In some instances, this causes ions to accelerate to high energy. Close to […]