I graduated in electrical engineering from the National School of Engineers in Tunis and I graduated in nuclear engineering from the National Institute of Nuclear Science and Techniques (INSTN) in Paris, France. Then, I joined the team working on the technical and economic studies for the introduction of the first nuclear power plant in Tunisia.

Before enrolling the WNU SI, I had three objectives: building large networks, learning and sharing experience, as well as bringing back a lot of fond memories. In fact being one of 76 Fellows from 30 countries during six weeks in the same place, was a great experience to make friends, to learn from each other and to share knowledge and experience. And during this training course, I had the chance to improve my leadership skills through the face to face with leaders from all over the world by learning from their experience. It was also an opportune time to reinforce my skills through working group sessions and co-working with “future leaders” with different styles of leadership, different cultures and different backgrounds. And this was challenging and helpful experience to enhance my ability to work within an international framework. During WNU SI 2017, I had the chance to improve my communication skills and learn how to build a successful team through the interactive platform Faber Fantasticus, leadership activities and Network for Nuclear Innovation projects.

WNU SI is a one-off opportunity to shape the future nuclear leaders. The main contribution of WNU SI is networking. In fact WNU SI allows building bridges between the future leaders from all over the world. Leadership skills are reinforced in different ways during six weeks; through the fruitful discussions, the outstanding presentations of the invited leaders and finally through the different instructive activities and projects.

At the beginning of November 2017, I applied to the Summer Institute because I believed it would be an extraordinary opportunity to challenge myself in the areas which I needed to improve on. The six-week program began with three weeks of lectures and group work in Busan, Republic of Korea, followed by a week of technical tours. During the last two weeks, we attended leadership courses in Gyeongju, and spent our final days working on Networks for Nuclear Innovations (NNI). Upon the conclusion of the program, I returned home with a wealth of knowledge and experience, greater confidence in my abilities, and new friends from around the world.

The Summer Institute curriculum is designed to provide cutting-edge presentations and workshops on a full range of topics relevant to leaders. The presentations generally take place in the mornings, after which fellows break into working groups composed of around ten people. Each group is assigned a mentor, who provided us with guidance when we faced technical or communications related challenges.

As an integral part of the WNU SI leadership development program, the Summer Institute includes presentations from invited leaders who have made notable contributions to the nuclear energy industry. These presentations enabled me to interact directly with talented and inspirational individuals, who provided us with remarkable insights into the industry.

Being the only female UAE National in the program, I sought to use every minute to my advantage by networking with other fellows. Being in the Republic of Korea linked me with the majority of whom are directly involved in the development of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in UAE. Every minute was valuable, and I explored to use each one in the best possible way.

As mentioned, we had the chance to explore our capabilities by working on an NNI project. Each group had to choose a topic related to nuclear energy, our group’s topic was about communication. We had to work on finding ways of changing public perception regarding nuclear energy.

After two days of brainstorming, we concluded that the best way to do so was to share our own personal experiences of working in the industry. For example, one of our group members was deeply influenced by the Fukushima Daiichi accident. He shared his story about the accident and how it shaped his thoughts and motivated him to work harder to ensure nuclear energy continues to be safety and quality led industry. Another group member had witnessed the Chernobyl accident and shared her thoughts about the event. In addition, two other members were pregnant, which was a clear testament to the safe nature of working in nuclear energy plants, and there was a fellow who had made a professional shift from renewable energy to nuclear energy, believing that we are all working toward achieving the same goals. All those stories had the potential to change perceptions about peaceful nuclear energy, because people can relate easily to personal experiences.

Overall, the WNU SI program was a great experience; I gained knowledge, excellent networking opportunities and valuable expertise in an important field. I encourage all of you not to hesitate to embark upon these kinds of experiences, go out there, get out of your comfort zone, and open your eyes and mind to the world and the wonderful possibilities it offers you. And never stop learning.

Eric completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering at McGill University in 2001. Subsequently, he held various positions at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL, formerly Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, AECL). Eric worked at CNL for a total of fourteen years at both Head Office and the Chalk River Laboratories. While at CNL, the areas of expertise encompassed Safety Design, Licensing, System Health and Operations Management.

In 2007, while working in Operations at the Chalk River Laboratories NRU reactor, Eric participated in the 3rd annual World Nuclear University Summer Institute in Daejeon, Korea. Using his experience from the 2007 WNU-SI, Eric became a member of the organizing committee for the 2008 WNU-SI in Ottawa, Canada. In 2012, he was certified by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) as a Senior Reactor Shift Engineer on one of the oldest operating nuclear reactors in the world. In 2015, he transferred to New Brunswick Power to work at the Point Lepreau Generation Station where he worked in system health. In the fall of 2016, he joined Canada’s Nuclear Regulator (the CNSC) at its head office in Ottawa, Canada, where he is currently the Director of the Systems Engineering Division.

I participated in the 2015 Summer Institute, which was held in Sweden. The course took 6 weeks and included lectures by renowned world-renowned experts, leaders of companies in the nuclear industry, such as Hans Blix, Tim Gitzel, as well as practical exercises with visits to production and energy facilities of Sweden.

As a result, I gained valuable knowledge and experience exchange with the best experts in the nuclear industry, which I have been successfully applying for 4 years in my work. The management of the company appreciated my training and began to entrust projects important for the Company, which I have been successfully implementing to this day.

For 4 years I was the head of two divisions. Now I head the unit for managing the Company's development strategy, sharing my experience and knowledge with my colleagues. I feel that leadership qualities have appeared in me and my colleagues feel comfortable. The Summer Institute taught me a more responsible attitude to my work, and most importantly, to love what I am doing now. Thanks to the whole team of the World Nuclear University

Growing up in a small village in Indonesia made my childhood experience unusual. Back in my 1st grade, our first art project was making brooms from parts of coconut leaves (“sapu lidi”). We were only 6 years old and had to bring knives to school. In the end, we survived and learned where things were originally from. I could not imagine doing this project in Canada nowadays. We might have been in the news or our school permanently closed.

My passion is to continue learning as long as I can. After I completed my first engineering degree in Indonesia, I received scholarships and completed a master and PhD in Canada. My journey in nuclear Science and Technology (S&T) began in 2003 by developing a numerical model simulating one experiment at the Underground Research Laboratory (URL) in Canada as part of my PhD research at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada. Just before I completed my degree, I was hired as a geotechnical engineer at Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) in 2006 based at the URL. I worked on several multidisciplinary projects for Canadian and international clients and developed expertise in radioactive waste disposal technology.

Recognizing my potential, the AECL leadership team selected me to participate at the World Nuclear University Summer Institute (WNUSI) in Oxford, United Kingdom (UK) in 2014. Over the 6 weeks, we learned about leadership in nuclear S&T from leaders in the industry, mentors, and other fellows. We also had site visits and group projects. I realized the importance of considering a big enough picture and collaboration to successfully solve a problem. After returning from WNUSI, I started my journey towards becoming a strategic planner. Motivated by one WNUSI mentor, I am developing an interest in intergenerational Nuclear Knowledge Management (NKM) to address challenging long-term radioactive waste management.

Subsequently, I attended the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)’s NKM school and Nuclear Energy Management (NEM) school in Trieste, Italy. In 2016 I was transferred to our head office in Chalk River, Ontario and started my new position as a technical planner at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) (formerly, AECL) to support the Near Surface Disposal Facility (NSDF) project. Currently, I am part of CNL’s waste programs working on our integrated waste strategy. I am also the principal investigator and project manager for the Enhanced Sealing Project (ESP), one of the first R&D projects supported by several nuclear waste management organizations to study the post-closure phase of an underground facility. This project has been operating for over 10 years at the URL site.

Looking back on my childhood, I would have never imagined this journey. Moving forward, I believe that my journey will be positive as I continue learning, networking professionally and spearheading collaborations.

I completed my Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering in Mexico (2016) at Instituto Tecnologico de la Laguna. I continued my Master’s studies in Nuclear Power Plant Engineering in South Korea (2017-2019) at KEPCO International Nuclear Graduate School (KINGS). Currently, I’m studying my PhD in Nuclear Science and Technology in China (2019-2023) at Harbin Engineering University (HEU) in the specialty of Advanced Reactor Physics.

My area of expertise in Nuclear Industry is Nuclear Core design. Since 2017 I have been participating in the Technical Cooperation fellowship programs at International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for Supporting Nuclear Power Infrastructure Capacity Building in Member States Introducing and Expanding Nuclear Power.

In 2019, I had the opportunity to join the Summer Institute Program from World Nuclear University (WNU); 82 people from 39 countries were united to develop leadership, communication and management skills for the development of the Nuclear Industry.

Last year I arrived in China and it’s a great country where we can learn a lot of things about the nuclear industry and daily life. Unfortunately, at the beginning of this year, COVID-19 pandemic is affecting so many people around the world, and especially our daily life and activities. Even though this is a hard time; we need to keep a positive mind and attitude; and find a way to keep developing our activities. Technology is helping us through meeting applications to take online classes, join online webinars with the experts of our industry, write articles, journals, do self-study and work in projects by long-distance supervision.

This is a new opportunity to come up with different strategies and solutions for the benefit of sustainable and economic development in the world. This situation provides the chance to emphasize more in the projects in the nuclear industry that use Machine Learning applications and Artificial Intelligence. Wherever you are, do not stop learning and develop yourself because your knowledge and skills will contribute to the current and future solutions.