Year in Industry- Computational Materials Modeller

Job Summary

Year in Industry Placement – Computational Materials Modeller

Salary £24,500 per annum plus benefits

Location Aldermaston, near Reading, Berkshire; onsite

Contract 12 months

Start date 2 Aug 2027

Working pattern 9-day working fortnight

About AWE

What if you could work with remarkable people on extraordinary things? What if the end result was something a little bit special? What if your role was mission critical? For over 75 years, AWE has been at the forefront of nuclear weapons research and development. We have a critical mission: to provide the warheads for the UK's ultimate deterrent, Trident. We also use our unique skills to provide wider UK government with counter-terrorism and nuclear threat reduction solutions. It takes a special sort of person to work at AWE. What if that person was you?

Role purpose

Materials Science supports the life cycle of warhead components and technologies to ensure the reliability of the UK's strategic deterrent and national security mission. A nuclear warhead contains a wide range of materials, including metals, ceramics, inorganic salts, rubbers, foams, adhesives, high explosives and radioactive substances. Materials and Analytical Science is critical to understanding and predicting how these materials behave under different conditions. As an undergraduate within the Modelling Team in Materials and Analytical Science, you will work on projects involving a range of models and codes, using several coding languages to help deliver AWE's mission.

Key activities

• Work with Materials and Analytical Scientists to characterise material ageing processes and propose approaches to model observed trends.
• Use a variety of statistical techniques to analyse experimental data.
• Write, develop and run code in languages and packages such as MATLAB, Mathematica, OpenFOAM and R.
• Use computational techniques for parameter optimisation.
• Verify and validate codes by identifying suitable test cases and determining analytical solutions where appropriate.

Entry requirements

• Mathematics, with modelling experience
• Physics
• Computer Science
• Materials Science Chemistry, with demonstrable strong mathematics or programming skills

Before starting with AWE, you must be able to provide evidence that you have achieved a minimum 2:2 degree classification, or equivalent academic performance to date, by August 2026. Most importantly, we are looking for enthusiastic individuals who are keen to get involved in interesting research and tasks.

Behaviours and qualities

• Growth mindset: You are full of grit and determination, clear about where you are going and how you will get there.
• Curious: You love to think outside the box, and may even want to take the box apart.
• Innovative: You are open to learning about new technologies and ground-breaking ideas.
• Resilience: You advocate speaking up for yourself and others openly and constructively.
• Team worker: You are dependable and reliable, and interested in collaborating with and supporting others.

Salary and benefits

• £24,500 salary.
• A market-leading contributory pension scheme.
• Generous holiday entitlement.
• Excellent work-life balance.
• A 9-day working fortnight, meaning you get every other Friday off work.
• Alongside these benefits, you will have the opportunity to learn from some of the top leaders in their field.

Recruitment process and key dates

• Online application: Choose the pathway that best matches your interests and goals.
• Online assessment: If eligible, complete numerical, verbal, logical and cognitive reasoning assessments. Practice materials will be available.
• Virtual assessment centre: Successful candidates will be invited to a virtual assessment centre during November or December 2026.
• Pre-assessment support: Receive webinar guidance so you know what to expect.
• Offer and clearance: Successful candidates will complete offer and security-clearance stages before joining in August 2027.

Security requirements

You must be a UK national holding a UK passport to be eligible to apply to AWE. You must have lived in the UK for 10 years to apply for Developed Vetting (DV) clearance for this role. The nature of our work does mean you need to be a British Citizen who has been resident in the UK for the past 5 years in order to apply for SC clearance and 10 years for DV. You must be a British Citizen to apply for a role with us.

Inclusion and diversity

Our ambition is to create workplaces where we recognise and celebrate differences, encourage diverse contributions and enable employees to feel able to be themselves at work. We strive to create a genuine culture of openness and inclusion and encourage diverse applicants. Any inclusion information you provide will be used to encourage and support you through the application process and will be held only for this purpose in accordance with GDPR.

Our ambition is to create workplaces where we recognise and celebrate differences, encourage diverse contributions and our employees feel able to be themselves at work. We strive to create a genuine culture of openness and inclusion and encourage diverse applicants. Any inclusion information you provide will be stored in accordance with GDPR and kept separate from your application form and CV, and the information will not be shared with anyone involved in interviewing or making hiring decisions.

Where we recruit

We are recruiting right across the business: from technical roles in engineering, science, manufacturing and industrial work to business roles in areas such as IT, project management/ controls, commercial, human resources and facilities management. We also have our Evolve graduate programme, or you may be interested in an apprenticeship with our award-winning Skills Academy.

Why join us

What we do is vital to national nuclear security. Keeping our nation, everyone, our environment and everything around us safe and secure is a top priority for us. So, as you would expect, that brings with it a high level of safety and security that you will see across our sites and in how everyone who works here operates. We are always looking for high calibre people to join our team, so why not explore the opportunities we currently have on offer. Whatever stage of your career, AWE is an exciting and challenging environment to develop your skills and achieve your potential.