Dr Clare Thorpe (she/her)

PhD - Biogeochemistry of Radioactively Contaminated Land

School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering

Lecturer in Materials Degradation & Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellow

Head of second year Materials Science undergraduate students

Profile photo of Clare Thorpe
Profile picture of Profile photo of Clare Thorpe
clare.thorpe@sheffield.ac.uk
Sir Robert Hadfield Building

Full contact details

Dr Clare Thorpe
School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering
Sir Robert Hadfield Building
Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 3JD
Profile

My research aims to understand the interactions of materials with aqueous environments, their durability and mechanisms of degradation. This is an interdisciplinary endeavor spanning the fields of geochemistry, mineralogy, microbiology and materials science. My research group is an integral part of the Immobilization Science Laboratory, as many of my current projects explore the behavior of materials designed to contain radioactive elements in glasses and ceramics to support their safe disposal.  

I currently hold a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship ""Microbes, minerals and materials heterogeneity; how (bio)geochemical processes affect the behaviour of glassy material"" and a Lectureship within the School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering.  Prior to joining the University of Sheffield, I completed a degree in Earth Sciences (2004-2008) and a PhD in the ""Biogeochemistry of radioactively contaminated land"" (2008-2012) from the University of Manchester. I spent three years as a PDRA working towards bioremediation strategies for radioactively contaminated sediment, funded by Sellafield Ltd. I joined the University of Sheffield as a postdoctoral researcher on the US DOE funded project GLAD (Glass Leaching Assessment for Disposability) in 2016 before securing an EPSRC David Clarke Research Fellowship in 2019 followed by my current fellowship in 2023.

My research is currently supported by the US Department of Energy, Sellafield Ltd, Nuclear Waste Services/Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, and the National Nuclear Laboratory. I sit on the Royal Society of Chemistry Radiochemistry Group Committee and UK Nuclear Academics Meeting Committee.

Alongside my love of science, I am a mum,  a keen high-latitude sailor and dinghy racer.

Research interests

My research aims to understand the behaviour of materials in complex natural environments with focus on a number of areas including the safe disposal of radioactive waste,the release of toxic elements into the environment, the development of biocidal products and the slow release of nutrients from glass based fertilizers. Understanding material-solution interactions in these systems requires an interdisciplinary approach involving aqueous geochemistry, solid state chemistry, metal and radionuclide redox cycling, geomicrobiology, mineralogy, and materials science.

Key research:

  • Evolution of glass alteration layers
  • Heavy metal and radionuclide behaviour in natural systems
  • Durability of nuclear type glasses, cements and ceramics
  • Biological interactions with material surfaces
  • Dissolution of heterogeneous material
  • Natural analogue studies to inform the long-term behaviour of modern materials.
Publications

Journal articles

  • Marcial J, Chesnutt J, Neeway JJ, Gichon E, Thorpe CL, Zhu Z, Golovchak R, Cebulski J, Niedzielski P, Szostek M , Luksic S et al (2025) . npj Materials Degradation, 9(1).
  • Choi S, Marcial J, Neeway JJ, Pearce CI, Kerisit SN, Kosson DS, Thorpe CL, Hand RJ & Kruger AA (2025) . Journal of Nuclear Materials, 614, 155858-155858.
  • Reiser JT, Neeway JJ, Cooley SK, Parruzot B, HerediaLangner A, Gin S, Thomas M, Smith NJ, Icenhower JP, StoneWeiss N , Takahashi Y et al (2025) . International Journal of Applied Glass Science.
  • Thorpe CL, Aldred N, Creasey-Gray S, Stennett MC, Rencz EA, Nehzati S, Haigh LT, Manifold G, Vallo N, Lenting C , Corkhill CL et al (2025) . Applied Geochemistry, 184, 106363-106363.
  • Fisher AJ, Thorpe CL, Haigh LT, Pepper SE & Edge R (2025) . MRS Advances.
  • Mansfield JT, Tang CT, Thorpe CL, Corkhill CL, Harrison MT & Hand RJ (2025) . Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids, 656.
  • Thorpe CL, Fisher AJ, Manifold G, Creasey-Gray S, Jackson CM, Stone B, Corkhill CL, Boothman C, Lloyd JR & Hand RJ (2025) . npj Materials Degradation, 9(1).
  • Ravikumar R, Thorpe CL, Corkhill CL, Walling SA, Neeway JJ, Pearce CI, Kruger AA, Kosson DS, Marcial J & Hand RJ (2025) . npj Materials Degradation, 9(1).
  • Thorpe CL, Crawford R, Hand RJ, Radford JT, Corkhill CL, Pearce CI, Neeway JJ, Plymale AE, Kruger AA, Morris K , Boothman C et al (2024) . Journal of Hazardous Materials, 462.
  • Mansfield JT, Thorpe CL, Corkhill CL, Harrison MT & Hand RJ (2023) . Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids, 608.
  • Matthews BE, Neeway JJ, Farias LN, Marcial J, Arey BW, Soltis J, Kovarik L, Zhu Z, Schweiger MJ, Canfield N , Varga T et al (2023) . Microscopy and Microanalysis, 29(1), 50-68.
  • Corkhill CL, Mann C, Eskelsen JR, Leonard DN, Mottram LM, Stennett MC, Ayling JMS, Thorpe CL, Cole MR, Nicholas S , Tappero R et al (2022) . npj Materials Degradation, 6(1).
  • Thorpe CL, Neeway JJ, Pearce CI, Hand RJ, Fisher AJ, Walling SA, Hyatt NC, Kruger AA, Schweiger M, Kosson DS , Arendt CL et al (2021) . npj Materials Degradation, 5.
  • Nava-Farias L, Neeway JJ, Schweiger MJ, Marcial J, Canfield NL, Pearce CI, Peeler DK, Vicenzi EP, Kosson DS, Delapp RC , McCloy JS et al (2021) . npj Materials Degradation, 5(1).
  • Thorpe CL, Williams HA, Boothman C, Lloyd JR & Morris K (2019) . Applied Radiation and Isotopes, 144, 104-110.
  • Thorpe CL, Law GTW, Lloyd JR, Williams HA, Atherton N & Morris K (2017) . Environmental Science & Technology, 51(21), 12104-12113.
  • Thorpe CL, Hand RJ, Hyatt NC, Kruger AA, Kosson DS, Schweiger MJ, Riley BJ & Corkhill CL (2017) . MRS Advances, 2, 635-640.
  • Thorpe CL, Lloyd JR, Law GTW, Williams HA, Atherton N, Cruickshank JH & Morris K (2016) . Geomicrobiology Journal, 33(3-4), 199-205.
  • Thorpe CL, Morris K, Lloyd JR, Denecke MA, Law KA, Dardenne K, Boothman C, Bots P & Law GTW (2015) . APPLIED GEOCHEMISTRY, 63, 303-309.
  • Thorpe CL, Boothman C, Lloyd JR, Law GTW, Bryan ND, Atherton N, Livens FR & Morris K (2014) . Applied Geochemistry, 40, 135-143.
  • Thorpe CL, Law GTW, Boothman C, Lloyd JR, Burke IT & Morris K (2012) . Geomicrobiology Journal, 29(5), 484-493.
  • Thorpe CL, Lloyd JR, Law GTW, Burke IT, Shaw S, Bryan ND & Morris K (2012) . Chemical Geology, 306-307, 114-122.
  • Thorpe CL, Morris K, Boothman C & Lloyd JR (2012) . FEMS Microbiology Letters, 327(2), 87-92.

Conference proceedings

  • Hyatt NC, Corkhill CL, Stennett MC, Hand RJ, Gardner LJ & Thorpe CL (2020) . IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, Vol. 818. Manchester, UK, 4 February 2020 - 4 February 2020.
  • Thorpe CL, Mann C, Fisher A, Hand RJ, Hyatt NC, Riley BJ, Schweiger MJ, Mayer J, Arendt C, Kruger AA , Kosson D et al (2018) Evaluation of novel leaching assessment for nuclear waste glasses. 44th Annual Waste Management Conference (WM2018) : Nuclear and Industrial Robotics, Remote Systems and Other Emerging Technology, Vol. 1 (pp 3317-3323). Phoenix, Arizona, USA, 18 March 2018 - 18 March 2018.
  • Mann C, Le Hoh T, Thorpe CL & Corkhill CL () . MRS Advances, Vol. 3(21) (pp 1147-1154)
  • Mann C, Thorpe C, Milodowski AE, Field LP, Shaw RP, Boast L, Hand R, Hyatt NC, Provis JL & Corkhill CL () . MRS Advances, Vol. 2(12) (pp 669-674)

Preprints

  • Thorpe C, Ravikumar R, Corkhill C, Walling S, Neeway J, Pearce C, Kruger A, Kosson D, Marcial J & Hand R (2024) , Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
  • Thorpe C, Fisher A, Manifold G, Creasey-Gray S, Jackson C, Stone J, Corkhill C, Boothman C, Lloyd J & Hand R (2024) , Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
Research group

Current students: 

- Garry Manifold, "Alteration of vitrified radioactive waste in low temperature natural environments: a natural analogue approach." (funded by Nuclear Waste Services)

- Eperke Rencz, "Alteration mechanisms of vitrified radioactive waste." (Funded by Royal Society and UKNNL). 

- Harley Bestwick, "Nearfield interactions of ILW glass; radionuclide transport at the glass-canister-backfill interface." (Funded by Sellafield Ltd and EPSRC through the SATURN CDT) 

Previous PhD students:

- Daniel Parkes "Thesis - Characterisation of thermally treated products" (Funded by TRANSCEND) - Completed 2024. 

- Rachel Crawford "Thesis - The Impact of Iron on the Durability of Vitrified UK High Level Waste". (Funded by EPSRC through the GREEN CDT) - Completed 2025

Jenny Ayling "Thesis - the dissolution of vitrified nuclear waste forms as a function of groundwater composition; the effect alkali and alkali earth cations on glass durability." (Funded by the NDA/UKNNL) - completed 2025

 

Grants

Active grants:

  • 2023-2028: Centre of Expertise for Thermal and Immobilisation (Sellafield Ltd.)
  • 2024 2032: Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship Microbes, minerals and materials heterogeneity; how (bio)geochemical processes affect the behaviour of glassy material (Royal Society)
  • 2016-2026: Project GLAD (Glass leaching assessment for disposability) (US Department of Energy)
  • 2020-2024: PhD Studentship: Alteration of vitrified radioactive waste in low temperature natural environments: a natural analogue approach (NWS RSO).

Past grants:

  • 2019-2020: Royal Society of Chemistry Research Fund: what can shipwreck glasses tell us about radioactive waste (RSC).
  • 2019-2023: EPSRC David Clarke Fellowship: Durability of vitrified radioactive waste in complex natural environments (EPSRC).
  • 2016: Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland Early Career Bursary: The Ballidon Glass Burial Project from a Geochemists Perspective
  • 2014-2015: Knowledge Transfer project: feasibility and longevity of bioremediation at Sellafield. (EPSRC/Sellafield Ltd)
  • 2015: University of Manchester Seed corn funding to investigate the use of PET-CT in imaging microbial processes
  • 2012-2013: Knowledge Transfer project: column studies towards the feasibility of bioremediation (EPSRC/Sellafield Ltd)
Teaching activities

I teach materials corrosion chemistry to 3rd year material science students (MAT373 - Surface degradation and protection). In addition, I supervise undergraduate and postgraduate final year research projects, assist on the 2nd year Research Perspectives module (MAT214/2930), act as an academic tutor and contribute to Postgraduate teaching of the NTEC and SATURN CDT programs.

Professional activities and memberships
  • Member of Royal Society of Chemistry
  • Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry Radiochemistry Group Committee
  • Member of the Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland
  • Fellow of Higher Education

Links

  MIDAS facility