In this talk by Dr Richard Foster, you will hear about the Korean nuclear landscape as the country balances growing energy demands requiring new nuclear, environmental obligations, and the decommissioning of aging facilities. The talk will also describe the speakers seemingly unconventional career path, offering an insight to how R&D operates in Korea with several case-studies of his own work spanning nuclear decommissioning and waste treatment. The talk will conclude with a summary of lessons learned from his perspective as a researcher in Asia and potential collaboration opportunities.

The aim of this talk is two-fold, one to introduce past, present and future nuclear R&D from Korea and promote opportunities for broader nuclear R&D engagement between Korea and the UK, and two to highlight that the path less worn can be successfully navigated based on the speakers personal experiences. The talk will be followed by Q&A and welcomes an exploration of areas of expertise within the Dalton community that could help strengthen ROK-UK relations concerning nuclear R&D.

Speaker Biography Dr Richard Foster currently holds a Research Assistant Professor position at the Nuclear Research Institute for Future Technology and Policy located at Seoul National University, Korea. He is part of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle & Non-proliferation Laboratory that supports research across all aspects of the nuclear industry from reactor operation through to final waste disposal and decommissioning, while helping underpin national policy plans. His research has generally revolved around decommissioning and waste treatment within the nuclear industry, specialising in precipitation-coagulation-flocculation and ion-exchange methodologies. Currently, he has expanded his interests to orphan wastes such as spent catalytic media and novel wasteform characterisation by means of non-destructive evaluation and testing. He has grown and continues to maintain a strong interest in international collaborations.

Richard completed his undergraduate and PhD studies at the University of Manchester, UK, in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, respectively, with the latter including a three-month secondment to the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI). His secondment proved to be the catalyst to pursue a research career outside of the UK when he emigrated to the Republic of Korea to take on a Postdoctoral Researcher role in the Decommissioning Technology Research Division at KAERI. He is also a serving editorial board member for the Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology.

Please register to join in person or via Zoom or our YouTube livestream. Pizzas will be provided in person from 12:30pm!

Location: 2.002 Oddfellows Hall and Online

About

The University of Manchester's Dalton Nuclear Institute brings together the University's community of over 170 PhD researchers, postdocs and fellows, and 120 academics. Spread across three faculties, their work covers the full nuclear fuel cycle, fusion, health and social research. Together this community forms the most advanced nuclear research capability in the UK.

The Dalton Seminar Series covers a range of nuclear topics, bringing guest speakers together with experts from across the University. It is hosted by the Dalton Champions - members of Manchester's nuclear research community who work to enhance the network. Champions are based throughout the University, representing the many departments in which nuclear related research takes place.

Previous seminars can be viewed via the Dalton Nuclear Institute YouTube channel

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Navigating the Road Less Travelled: Finding R&D Success in Korea