Colin Boxall

Professor Colin Boxall holds The Lloyd's Register Foundation Chair in Nuclear Engineering and Decommissioning at Lancaster University, where he serves as Head of the LRF Centre for the Safety of Nuclear Energy. He is affiliated with the School of Engineering and leads a significant research group focused on nuclear decommissioning and actinide chemistry.

Professor Boxall's primary research interests center on the behavior of actinides throughout the nuclear industrial fuel cycle. His work spans nuclear materials science, spent fuel characterization, actinide chemistry, nuclear decommissioning technologies, and radioactive waste management. He has particular expertise in Advanced Gas-Cooled Reactor (AGR) fuel systems and uranium/plutonium chemistry, with extensive collaboration with the National Nuclear Laboratory, Sellafield, and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

His extensive publication record demonstrates consistent focus on nuclear fuel cycle challenges, with recent work emphasizing spent fuel characterization techniques, actinide separation processes, and nuclear decommissioning methodologies. His research bridges fundamental actinide chemistry with practical nuclear industry applications, addressing critical challenges in the UK's nuclear legacy and future energy programs.

Professor Boxall supervises 19 postgraduate research students and leads a research group comprising 1 Lecturer, 3 Postdoctoral Research Associates, and 12 PhD students. His research is supported through multiple consortiums including the EPSRC DISTINCTIVE consortium, the "Next Generation Nuclear" Centre for Doctoral Training, and the EU FP7 SACSESS Consortium. He has presented to the Westminster Energy Forum on Nuclear Power Sustainability (resulting in a mention in the House of Lords) and provided oral evidence to Parliament on the nuclear industry's future.

He directs the LRF Centre for the Safety of Nuclear Energy and is actively involved in major initiatives addressing nuclear decommissioning challenges. His laboratory work focuses on nuclear materials characterization, actinide separation processes, and development of nuclear decommissioning technologies with direct relevance to real-world nuclear waste management problems.