Latest News

AWE has appointed Andrew McNaughton as its new Executive Director, Fissile Programme and Emma-Jane Houghton as Commercial Director, Fissile Programme.

AWE is delighted by the announcement that Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in the US, one of our key partners, has achieved ignition in a fusion experiment on the National Ignition Facility (NIF). This is a historic achievement, long anticipated by the fusion community, and will be an important step towards clean energy in the […]

We are thrilled to announce AWE as Gold winners in the ‘Candidate Assessment’ category at the prestigious In-house Recruitment awards. The award recognises the highly innovative, skills-based solution that was implemented for our Apprenticeship hiring in 2021-22. AWE’s Future Careers Team, in partnership with the Skills Academy, worked with Spotted Zebra to create a unique skills profile […]

Helen Peters, Senior Legal Counsel at AWE, recently presented on UK nuclear decommissioning at the prestigious International Nuclear Law Association (INLA) biennial conference in Washington, USA. The INLA’s purpose is to promote the study of legal issues associated with the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to encourage the exchange of information in this field. […]

It was a night to remember with AWE coming 21st in the list of the 2022 Top 25 Best Big Companies to work for, based on employee feedback. And it didn’t stop there with AWE receiving a further award. The Best Big Companies award is open to companies with over 2,000 employees – with those […]

AWE welcomes the Chief Nuclear Inspector’s Report  published today (12 October) by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR). The report highlights the AWE Burghfield site’s return to routine regulatory attention, driven by ‘demonstrable and sustained progress in safety performance, and with the leadership team showing a proactive approach to safety management and culture.’ The ONR […]

AWE’s Steve Fisher has received an Award of Excellence from the United States National Nuclear Security Administration, Office of Defence Programmes (DP) for his contribution to the U.S./UK Mutual Defence Agreement. Currently a Senior Manager, International Liaison, Steve will be retiring later this year, after 26 years of service to the UK at AWE. His […]

AWE representatives had a treat when recently visiting academic partner, Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. The visit provided a sneak preview of the National Robotarium, a multi-million-pound facility and the UK’s leading centre for robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), along with a chance to discuss future opportunities. The National Robotarium is due to open in the […]

It’s a double achievement for one AWE apprentice, as not only was Liam Jones our first degree apprentice, but he has also graduated with first class honours. Liam became AWE’s first degree apprentice in 2018, studying for a BSc in Nuclear Engineering. Over the next four years, in addition to studying at AWE’s apprentice academy […]

Giles Hartill, BEng MSc CEng FIMechE, will become President of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) next year after recently being elected as Deputy President. Giles joined AWE as a graduate engineer in 2003 and is now a chief engineer. He has been a member of the IMechE since 1999, becoming a Fellow in 2014 […]

Members of the AWE and National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) Early Careers communities came together at the recently held NuLINKS Conference to share learning, complementary capabilities and innovations – highlighting collaboration on key areas of interest between the two organisations. Hosted by AWE, with the focus of the conference being security and non-proliferation, NuLINKS debated and […]

Joe Mahmoud, who completed his PhD at the University of Manchester in December 2021, won the prestigious 2022 Materials Science Thesis Prize – jointly sponsored by AWE and the Worshipful Company of Armourers and Brasiers. Joe’s thesis concentrated on the development of new methods for the rapid separation of americium from complex matrices. This research […]

AWE has today (23 June) acknowledged a Prohibition Notice issued by the Office for Nuclear Regulation. The Notice prohibits entry into a part of AWE’s Plutonium Technology Centre, at the Aldermaston site, which is classified as a ‘confined space,’ unless a safe system of work is in place. An AWE spokesperson said: “We remain absolutely […]

To mark the achievements of women engineers, AWE celebrated International Women in Engineering Day on 23 June

Landmark commissioning project combines AWE’s experience in creating extreme environments with the world-leading capabilities of the European XFEL light source. Scientists can find out a lot about materials and the inner workings of our universe by recreating extreme environments, like those at the centre of giant planets, here on Earth. These experiments help to push […]

Over 30 AWE sponsored postgraduate students gathered at the Materials Student Conference 2022 – held recently at Pembroke College, University of Oxford – to present their work, research and achievements in materials science. The students, who came from universities across the UK, gave oral presentations and poster sessions on areas of particular interest to AWE’s […]

Our charity partner Thrive helps a range of clients at its Reading centre and gardens. The charity’s clients have a wide range of conditions, including physical or learning disabilities, mental health support needs, sensory loss or autism. Thrive’s trained horticultural therapists work with clients so they can enjoy the health benefits that gardening and spending […]

When our research has the potential to impact on industry more widely, we use patents as a means of sharing the benefits of technological innovations. In December 2021, Physicists David Hillier and David Winter were granted a patent for a technology they originally developed for the Orion laser facility to help it accurately measure signals […]

The exchange of information and knowledge between organisations is known to help innovation and scientific discovery. At AWE, we have a long history of working with the US national laboratories, and secondments are an important part of that relationship. Matt Hill, Plasma Physicist, joined AWE in 2008 and works on high energy density material physics […]

The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) has today (31 March 2022) announced that AWE has delivered ‘significant and sustained’ safety improvements at its Burghfield licensed site, resulting in its move to ‘routine’ regulatory attention. The improvements demonstrated by AWE at the Burghfield site were driven by its Structured Improvement Programme (SIP) and its holistic approach […]