Sheffield jobs: Sheffield University to axe scores of engineers in cuts at nuclear research centre

Staff at the Nuclear AMRC were put on notice of redundancy in a video call on Wednesday, The Star has learned.

The department, led by Andy Storer, employs 120 at the Advanced Manufacturing Park in Rotherham and a further 30 across Derby and Warrington. 

It is understood 30 staff will be retained and absorbed into sister department the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre.

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One worker contacted The Star to say: “Almost the full workforce of the Nuclear AMRC are to be made redundant…my family are probably now going to end up homeless.”

It comes as a new generation of small modular nuclear reactors has been slow to take off.

In 2021 The Star reported Rolls-Royce SMR had raised £490m, including £210m from government, to finalise the design and gain regulatory approval for the reactors.

At the time, the firm said it could herald new factories in South Yorkshire and could create 6,000 jobs by 2025, rising to 40,000 with a full UK fleet of 16 reactors, plus exports.

The Nuclear AMRC is owned by the University of Sheffield, but overseen by companies who pay to be partners and guide research. They include Rolls-Royce, Sheffield Forgemasters, French firm eDF and ITW Welding.

Sheffield University was contacted for comment.