News: Nuclear AMRC appoint research director

The Nuclear AMRC has appointed Professor Mike Burke as director of research and technology.

Currently under construction on the Advanced Manufacturing Park in Rotherham, The £25m Nuclear AMRC is a joint initiative between the University of Sheffield, The University of Manchester, and a consortium of industry partners. It will provide a focal point for the bulk of the UK civil nuclear manufacturing industry supply chain, ensuring that manufacturers in the UK have the capability and capacity required to compete for nuclear new build in the UK and globally, from skills training to research and development.

Burke has more than 30 years experience in materials and manufacturing process research for the power generation industry. He studied for his PhD at the University of Sheffield, where his thesis was awarded the 1981 Brunton Medal for Metallurgical Research. He spent the next three decades in the US, working for Westinghouse and Siemens on industrial research for nuclear and fossil fuel applications.

The director will be based at The University of Manchester Dalton Nuclear Institute and lead on collaborative industry-focused research across the Nuclear AMRC's facilities.

Professor Mike Burke said: "Joining the Nuclear AMRC is an exciting challenge, and an opportunity to be involved with something that's going to make great progress in industry and in the field of materials research.

"My work is about bridging the gap between the guys who want more performance out of their materials, and the manufacturing guys who are going to make that for them."

Professor Keith Ridgway OBE, programme director for the Nuclear AMRC, added: "We are delighted to have Mike joining us. He brings with him a wealth of experience in the nuclear industry and he will be a great asset to the team."

Nuclear AMRC website

Images: namrc.co.uk