Latest News

AWE is thrilled to announce that three colleagues have been recognised in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours, for their service and achievements. “I’m delighted to congratulate John Roberson OBE, Jo Walker OBE, and Stewart Booth MBE. Their dedication, expertise and service have made outstanding contributions to our nation and reflect the very best of AWE. […]

AWE has developed unique, world-leading technology to help validate the UK’s warhead stockpile. Supporting that work requires extremely rigorous testing- and at the heart of it sits Valiant, a new supercomputer that we are proud to say has now entered active service. This powerful new capability for simulation, testing and discovery significantly boosts our ability […]

Thank you for taking the time to read the printed leaflet you received in the post, and for scanning the QR code to discover more. By taking some of our content online, which we started from the autumn 2024 edition, we’ve been able to reduce the printing associated with each Connect by more than 50%, […]

AWE has strengthened its strategic partnership with The University of Manchester, through the launch of the Actinides Centre of Excellence (ACE) – a new centre being created at the university to grow world-leading capability in actinides science and related nuclear research. 

A team of physicists, including scientists from AWE, has demonstrated for the first time a practical route to dramatically increasing the intensity of radiation achievable in the laboratory, an area of research that has enduring relevance to AWE’s mission.

This appointment recognises a distinguished career spanning military leadership, national infrastructure, and some of the UK’s most critical defence and resilience programmes.

We are pleased to announce that NuFor 2026, the annual joint conference hosted by AWE and UKNNL, will take place from 13–15 October 2026 at Spaces at the Spine, Liverpool. 

The UK’s Defence Nuclear Enterprise (DNE) is more than a cornerstone of national security- it is a powerful engine driving economic growth, skills development and technological innovation.

AWE would like to extend our warm thanks to everyone who joined us at DPRTE 2026, the UK’s leading defence procurement and supply chain event.

Three AWE sponsored PhD researchers were recently shortlisted to present their scientific posters at STEM for Britain 2026, an annual event held at the Houses of Parliament and organised by the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee. 

We’re proud to share that AWE has been successfully re‑accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry, marking over twenty years of partnership in supporting the growth and professionalism of our materials and chemical scientists. 

AWE is supporting an expansion of UK nuclear doctoral training through a new suite of Doctoral Focal Awards (DFAs), strengthening the skills pipeline essential to delivering our mission, now and in the future, and sustaining national nuclear capability as part of the wider defence enterprise.

Neurodiversity Celebration Week 2026 (16–20 March) encourages organisations to move beyond awareness and take meaningful steps to support neurodivergent colleagues.

AWE is pleased to be returning to DPRTE, the UK’s leading defence procurement and supply chain event, at the Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre. This year Dr Robert Lock and Dr Martin Gilmore will give delegates an overview of AWE’s new Technology Strategy.

Professor Mark Whiting, one of our esteemed William Penney Fellows, from the University of Surrey, shares his views on the power of collective achievement in shaping scientific discoveries.

Robots, VR technology and liquid nitrogen experiments drew busy crowds of curious students to Get Inspired Basingstoke.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has purchased Aldermaston Park, a 139-acre site on the northern boundary of AWE’s Aldermaston site. The site will be occupied by AWE.

Dr. Hugh Goyder, one of our William Penney Fellows, from Cranfield University, takes a moment to reflect on the development of computer simulation as a vital tool for research at AWE.

In late 2025, the Government published the Nuclear Regulatory Review, a landmark report described by the Prime Minister as “establishing a clear and ambitious course to renew our nuclear sector, to accelerate the safe, secure, and affordable delivery of nuclear projects across civil, defence, and decommissioning”. 

We are delighted to announce that Roy Awbery has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC).