Introduction
The field in which nuclear scientists work covers a broad range of activities, from designing and monitoring nuclear power plants to developing medicines and equipment. The work is seldom routine and calls for a high degree of original thought. It is also highly complex, entailing the use of very sophisticated electronic equipment and computer-controlled systems.
Nuclear chemists may work in academic or government laboratories doing basic, applied, or theoretical research. They may also work in private industry, at nuclear power plants, or in medical facilities that offer radiation treatments and medical imaging. Nuclear engineers typically work in offices. However, their work setting varies with the industry in which they are employed. For example, those employed in power generation and supply work in power plants.
Many work for the federal government and for consulting firms. Nuclear engineers work with others, including mechanical engineers and electrical engineers, and they must be able to incorporate systems designed by these engineers into their own designs.
Eligibility
XII Science PCM
Entrance Exams
Graduate
Post-Graduate
M.Sc. /M.Tech (Nuclear)
What do they do?
They work with the production of radioactive isotopes (radioisotopes) by means of nuclear reactors or large accelerators. It is the responsibility of nuclear scientists to determine the most suitable nuclear reaction with the minimum amount of unwanted radioactivity. The work of nuclear scientists includes basic and applied research in nuclear physics and chemistry, radiation physics and biophysics, medical physics, health physics and nuclear energy. Basically their work is –
- Experimenting, observing and developing mathematical formulae for nuclear physics.
- Investigating roles of radioisotopes and its application across inducts.
Key Skills
- Purification of irradiated material; development of techniques
- To analyse samples that are of industrial, mining, geological or archaeological interest
- Observation, measurement and control of radioactivity and radiation.
- Interest in science and willingness to explore the unknown.
- Strong mathematical, analytical and problem solving skills
- Technical expertise coupled with creativity and innovative thinking.
Career Growth
Level I: Junior Research Fellow
Level 2: Senior Research Fellow
Level 3: Junior Research Scientist
Level 4: Senior Research Scientist
Level 5: Director
Being a Nuclear Engineer can be an appropriate career choice for you. … If you have an interest in dealing with nuclear energy as well be a part of the process in which systems and several instruments are built which can have benefits from nuclear energy then you can be a part of the nuclear engineering field.
Top recruiters
Universities
Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research
BARC
Hospitals / Health Care Industry
Directorate for Radiation Safety of the Department of Health
NECSA
Eskom
