Electrical power systems are undergoing unprecedented and ever-increasing change that will increase the levels of complexity and uncertainty to unprecedented levels, particularly in GB. Ensuring secure, reliable and stable power system operation is clearly paramount; not only for "traditional" electrical loads, but to power telecommunications, water supply and sanitation, natural gas production and delivery, and for transportation. Social discomfort, economic disruption and loss of life can arise in cases of partial or full blackouts. Uncertainty and complexity will arise due to the prevalence of Renewable Energy Sources (RES). In GB, millions of intermittent small energy sources (not under the control of the system operator) may be connected to the electricity distribution system in future, as opposed to historical arrangements, where a much smaller number (100 or so) of large-scale generators, under the control of the system operator, were connected to the transmission system. Furthermore, energy storage, electric vehicles, heat pumps, HVDC interconnectors, "smart grids" and associated control systems, will all act to increase the complexity and unpredictability of, and possibly introduce chaos to, the system. Extreme weather events are on the increase empirically and with reliance on renewable sources (mostly from solar and wind), this could also increase risks associated with uncertainty, complexity and system operability. Internationally respected organisations such as the IEEE and CIGRE emphasise the increasing complexity of power systems and highlight problems with unpredictable and changing power system dynamics as challenges that might compromise security and could increase the risk of blackouts. They also highlight potential improvements in reducing these risks through enhanced monitoring, control, automation and special protection schemes. Prevention and mitigation of the risk of blackouts is essential and the focus of this proposal. Understanding the changing nature of system dynamics is fundamental to addressing this risk. This Fellowship is focused on investigating, understanding, defining and representing previously un-encountered dynamic phenomena that will be manifest in future power systems due to the aforementioned increases in complexity and uncertainty. Novel modelling, prediction and control tools and methodologies will be developed to ensure an accelerated path to stable, secure, reliable and cost-effective operation and enhance understanding. This research will lead to prototype applications and demonstration in the world-leading facilities available at the host institution. Ultimately, the main impact will be maximisation of the secure use of renewables and effective decarbonisation of the electricity system, through creating models and tools to enhance "operability" of electrical power systems and reduce blackout risk. The Fellowship will enable the candidate and his institution to be international leaders in this field, which impacts both society and the economy.

Electrical power systems are undergoing unprecedented and ever-increasing change that will increase the levels of complexity and uncertainty to unprecedented levels, particularly in GB. Ensuring secure, reliable and stable power system operation is clearly paramount; not only for "traditional" electrical loads, but to power telecommunications, water supply and sanitation, natural gas production and delivery, and for transportation. Social discomfort, economic disruption and loss of life can arise in cases of partial or full blackouts. Uncertainty and complexity will arise due to the prevalence of Renewable Energy Sources (RES). In GB, millions of intermittent small energy sources (not under the control of the system operator) may be connected to the electricity distribution system in future, as opposed to historical arrangements, where a much smaller number (100 or so) of large-scale generators, under the control of the system operator, were connected to the transmission system. Furthermore, energy storage, electric vehicles, heat pumps, HVDC interconnectors, "smart grids" and associated control systems, will all act to increase the complexity and unpredictability of, and possibly introduce chaos to, the system. Extreme weather events are on the increase empirically and with reliance on renewable sources (mostly from solar and wind), this could also increase risks associated with uncertainty, complexity and system operability. Internationally respected organisations such as the IEEE and CIGRE emphasise the increasing complexity of power systems and highlight problems with unpredictable and changing power system dynamics as challenges that might compromise security and could increase the risk of blackouts. They also highlight potential improvements in reducing these risks through enhanced monitoring, control, automation and special protection schemes. Prevention and mitigation of the risk of blackouts is essential and the focus of this proposal. Understanding the changing nature of system dynamics is fundamental to addressing this risk. This Fellowship is focused on investigating, understanding, defining and representing previously un-encountered dynamic phenomena that will be manifest in future power systems due to the aforementioned increases in complexity and uncertainty. Novel modelling, prediction and control tools and methodologies will be developed to ensure an accelerated path to stable, secure, reliable and cost-effective operation and enhance understanding. This research will lead to prototype applications and demonstration in the world-leading facilities available at the host institution. Ultimately, the main impact will be maximisation of the secure use of renewables and effective decarbonisation of the electricity system, through creating models and tools to enhance "operability" of electrical power systems and reduce blackout risk. The Fellowship will enable the candidate and his institution to be international leaders in this field, which impacts both society and the economy.

Concrete structures are ubiquitous and critical components of UK and international civil infrastructure, cityscapes, waste containment facilities, and much more. Now, more than ever, we demand more from our concrete structures, from safety, durability, economy, and environmental perspectives. For example, in the UK alone, there are approximately 67,400 highway bridges carrying heavy goods vehicles and over 70% are reinforced concrete, prestressed concrete, or concrete culvert bridges. Of these, nearly 70% were built between 1960 and 1990. Given this information, the cost of replacing or remediating ageing national bridges in the UK alone is huge. For example, the total maintenance backlog for council-managed (in Great Britain) road bridges has been estimated to be £6.7bn. This indicates that council-managed concrete bridges in Great Britain are currently in a £4.7bn maintenance backlog. The costs associated with deconstructing and reconstructing these bridges can be estimated as a figure approximately two orders of magnitude larger than the current maintenance backlog. Therefore, feasibly addressing contemporary concrete infrastructure challenges requires more than a monetary solution, it requires technical innovation. To begin addressing the demands of an ageing concrete infrastructure, we must first be able reliably assess the condition of concrete structures during their lifespan in order to, e.g., rehabilitate them before replacement or discontinuing service before failure. At present, however, many non-destructive testing/structural health monitoring (NDT/SHM) imaging methods offer limited information regarding the internal condition of concrete structures. This project responds to this issue by determining the feasibility of a new 3D approach (electrical tomography) for use in assessing the condition and health of concrete structural members, such as beams, slabs, and columns. Outcomes from the project have the potential to enable (i) experimental studies of the fundamental behaviour of reinforced concrete members by allowing researchers to quantifiably "see" inside members exposed to extreme environmental and/or loading conditions and (ii) quantitative 3D condition monitoring of constructed concrete structures. From an asset management perspective, this non-destructive technology would allow maintainers to "see" inside concrete structures. In doing this, maintainers can detect internal damage, such as cracking and reinforcement corrosion, and repair/replace individual members before they jeopardise safety or give rise to expensive systematic problems requiring replacement of the entire structure.

Electrical power systems are undergoing unprecedented changes that increase the levels of complexity and uncertainty, mainly driven by decarbonisation targets on the way to achieving net zero operation and addressing climate change. As an example, towards this direction the UK government has set a bold target for zero carbon electricity by 2035. Increasing complexity comes from the introduction of a large number of converter-interfaced devices (CID) that exhibit very different dynamic behaviour, governed to a large extent by control. In addition, uncertainty in power system operation is increasing, due to the intermittent behaviour of renewable sources but also increasingly by social behaviour through EVs and potential electrification of heating as well as complex market and power industry structures. This leads to an exploding search space of possible operating conditions and contingencies, which is particularly challenging for computationally intensive stability assessment and dynamic studies. This aspect coupled with the increasing complexity of dynamic behaviour, makes identifying critical operating conditions and contingencies challenging. Consequently, these developments raise the need for improved representation and understanding of dynamic phenomena as well as fast and informative dynamic security and stability assessment. Both aspects are crucial in order to avoid potentially hidden risks of instability that in the worst-case scenario can lead to widespread events and even blackouts. Consequently, the aim of this proposal is to develop methods, tools and models needed to achieve a secure, resilient and cost-effective power system operation. Building on progress made in the initial part of the fellowship, the extension will continue focusing on two main directions. From one hand, it will develop tools, methods and models to represent and investigate the changing dynamic behaviour of power systems in order to capture new arising dynamic phenomena, spanning both transmission and distribution (e.g. offshore/onshore wind, solar PVs, HVDC links, EVs, heat pumps, electrolysers, etc.). On the other hand, it will develop novel machine learning based and data-driven methods for the fast and informative stability assessment as well as the estimation of the stability boundary. This direction will enable unique understanding of the dynamic behaviour that will lead to ancillary services and control to mitigate or alleviate the impact of disturbances and improve system security and resilience. In addition, the fellowship extension will continue and ramp-up engagement with industrial partners to capture practical aspects and fine tune developed methodologies to pave the way for real world applications. In effect, the results of the fellowship will enable more secure, resilient and potentially more cost-effective operation of power systems due to better knowledge of system stability limits. Consequently, much higher integration of renewables and new technologies with various technical and environmental benefits can be achieved in order to meet bold decarbonisation targets in a secure, resilient and cost-efficient manner.

In order to meet the UK's carbon reduction targets, and achieve an energy mix that produces less CO2, we must continue to investigate ways in which to make nuclear power cleaner, cheaper and safer. At the same time, as new reactors such as Hinkley Point C are built, the UK needs to develop the work force who will operate, regulate and solve technical problems in civil nuclear power, in order to capitalise on our investment in nuclear energy. Important in this respect is that the UK currently operates mainly old advanced gas-cooled reactors, fundamentally different from the next fleet of UK nuclear power stations, which will be light-water reactors. Key to this change, in terms of this research project, is that Zirconium is a preferred fuel cladding material in LWRs. A major part of a nuclear reactor is the fuel assembly - the structure that encapsulates the highly radioactive nuclear fuel. Understanding the performance of the materials used to make these assemblies is critical for safe, efficient operation, and they must be able to maintain their structure during normal operation, handling and storage, as well as survive in the unlikely event of an accident, when they become crucial in preventing the escape of radioactive materials. Because of the need to operate nuclear reactors as safely as possible, fuel is often removed well before it is spent, as we currently do not know enough about fuel assembly materials, so must adopt a highly cautious, safety-first approach. This does mean, however, that it is more costly to run a reactor, as assemblies must be replaced well before all the fuel is consumed, and this also means the assembly then - prematurely - becomes additional nuclear waste, which must be safely handed and stored, at further high cost. By gaining greater understanding of how assembly materials perform when irradiated, we will be able to make more accurate safety cases, which will mean that fuel assemblies can be used for longer periods without additional risk. Such knowledge will enable the UK to operate the next generation of reactors far more efficiently, significantly reducing the cost of nuclear power. This is particularly important now, given that the UK is going to have light-water, instead of advanced gas-cooled, reactors, and with it the fuel assembly and its material will change very fundamentally. This research effort will also significantly benefit other countries using nuclear energy, which will establish the UK as a centre of expertise in the area. This will further attract inward investment in research and development in the UK, creating future wealth and employment alongside cleaner energy. A second key theme of the project will be to explore the use of zirconium alloys in critical components for future fusion reactors. The UK has a leading position in defining the materials that will be chosen for the ITER and DEMO international fusion projects, and this theme will contribute to maintaining the UK's reputation as a centre of excellence in fusion research.