The IAEA’s flagship initiative to assist profession improvement for ladies in nuclear fields continued its work this month in Australia by means of a two-week skilled go to targeted on nuclear medication manufacturing, nuclear know-how and science analysis and purposes. The go to was the primary of a number of Lise Meitner Programme (LMP) visits deliberate for 2026.
Named after the Austrian-Swedish physicist Lise Meitner, who helped uncover nuclear fission, the programme goals to spice up girls’s profession improvement in the nuclear sector by means of skilled visits hosted by IAEA Member States. The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), with assist from the Australian Government, hosted 22 girls professionals from 9 to twenty February in Sydney. This was the seventh LMP go to for the reason that programme started.
“ANSTO’s facilities and expertise exemplify how nuclear research infrastructure and applications can be integrated to deliver tangible social benefits, from advanced research reactors and radioisotope production to environmental science and industrial applications,” mentioned Najat Mokhtar, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications. “We are deeply grateful to Australia and to ANSTO for their openness, excellence and commitment to international cooperation and for their unwavering support to the IAEA Lise Meitner Programme.”
Exploring Nuclear Applications Across Sectors
This go to highlighted how nuclear science and know-how helps the Sustainable Development Goals and supplied contributors with instruments to speak these advantages successfully. It explored cutting-edge purposes in human well being, surroundings, agriculture, ocean well being and business.
The Royal North Shore Nuclear Medicine Facility invited LMP contributors to tour the Diagnostic Nuclear Medicine Department, and the National Total Body PET/CT Facility and Therapeutics Labs (Photo: ANSTO).
“Participating in the IAEA Lise Meitner Programme has been both a joy and a privilege. The knowledge and hands-on experience I have gained are incredibly valuable, especially since my country is developing its first research cyclotron to produce radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals for positron emission tomography (PET) scans in cancer diagnosis and tuberculosis detection,” mentioned Firliyani Ningsih, a Researcher on the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) in Indonesia.
Technical Visits Enhance Capacity
As a part of the go to, the group toured the Open Pool Australian Lightwater (OPAL) reactor, a 20-megawatt analysis reactor operating on low enriched uranium produces business portions of radioisotopes for each medical use and analysis. Participants additionally toured the ANSTO Nuclear Medicine Production Facility, the Australian Centre for Accelerator Science in addition to the ANSTO Minerals and Gamma Irradiation Facility.
LMP contributors participate in a tour of the OPAL multipurpose analysis reactor positioned in Sydney, Australia (Photo: ANSTO).
“Hosting the IAEA Lise Meitner Programme reflects the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation’s commitment to empowering women to lead, innovate and shape the future of nuclear science and technology,” mentioned Jasmine Reay, Group Executive of Infrastructure and Engineering Services at ANSTO. “The LMP enables participants to build long-lasting professional relationships, creating a cross-cultural community of women professionals in nuclear.”
In addition to the programme’s technical parts, it additionally positioned a powerful emphasis on methods to speed up profession progress and private improvement in the nuclear sector. Sessions included modules on resilient communication and the function of emotional intelligence in the office to strengthen management presence and to additional their careers in the nuclear subject, the place they signify lower than 1 / 4 of the workforce.
Participants and consultants from the 2026 LMP cohort onsite in Sydney, Australia (Photo: ANSTO).
Building on Past Success and Preparing for the Future
To date, greater than 100 girls from 45 international locations have taken half in the LMP since its launch by IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi in 2023. Previous visits befell in Argentina, Canada, Japan, the Republic of Korea and the United States of America.
The programme enhances the IAEA Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme (MSCFP) , which supplies scholarships for grasp’s programmes to girls in nuclear associated research and internship alternatives facilitated by the IAEA. Both programmes work to handle the rising want for a nuclear workforce with various experience by tackling the underrepresentation of ladies in the nuclear subject.
The subsequent LMP go to will happen in the Russian Federation, hosted by Rosatom and the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR). Subsequent visits are scheduled in Austria , hosted by Orano and the IAEA, adopted by a second go to to France, hosted by the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) and the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA). Details and dates for these visits will likely be introduced quickly and professionals will be capable to apply here .