Abbie Jones

Professor Abbie Jones holds a dual appointment as Professor of Nuclear Graphite Engineering within the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering at the University of Manchester and Research Area Lead for Nuclear Materials at the Henry Royce Institute for Advanced Materials. Her research centers on fundamental nuclear graphite behavior in reactor systems, particularly Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors (AGR), with significant contributions to regulatory safety and decommissioning technologies.

Her expertise spans nuclear materials characterization, graphite decontamination via molten salt processes, and irradiated waste management. As Research Area Lead at the Royce Institute, she drives national research strategy in nuclear materials, emphasizing practical applications for reactor safety and waste reduction. Her work integrates experimental research with regulatory requirements through the Office for Nuclear Regulation.

Professor Jones has secured over £10 million in research funding from UK Government, EPSRC, Innovate UK, and EU programs. She leads high-impact initiatives including a £2M National Nuclear User Facility for Molten Salts and coordinates the IAEA's GRAPA network on graphite decommissioning. Her research underpins REF 2015 and 2021 impact cases, with a patent pending for graphite decontamination technology.

She actively advises the Office for Nuclear Regulation as Graphite Technical Advisory Committee member and maintains extensive industrial collaborations globally. Her leadership bridges academic research, regulatory frameworks, and industrial implementation in nuclear materials science.