The EPSRC has awarded £6.1M across 10 Universities to fund DISTINCTIVE (Decommissioning, Immobilisation and Storage soluTIons for NuClear wasTe InVEntories) for 48 months beginning February 2014.  Two researchers will be based in the School of Chemistry, a PDRA in the groups of Dr Joe Hriljac and Dr Mark Read to investigate new inorganic ion exchange materials targeted for the selective uptake of radioactive Sr and Cs in the presence of competing ions and complexants in solutions over a range of pH conditions and a PhD student in the group of Mark Read to undertake modelling of plutonium dioxide ageing and fuel residues.