Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA
Lise Meitner Programme participants take part in a hot cell manipulation activity at McMaster University’s High Level Lab Facility; a facility designed for research applications using substantial quantities of unsealed sources of radioactivity. (Photo: McMaster University).
Women working in the nuclear field visited Canada last week as part of an IAEA initiative to boost their career development. During the third and final visit of the 2025 IAEA Lise Meitner Programme, participants took part in a two-week training focused on research reactors.
The visit comes on the heels of the first 2025 Lise Meitner Programme (LMP) visit in May dedicated to nuclear power programme development in Argentina. A visit to Japan in June focused on advanced nuclear technology and Fukushima recovery efforts.
The LMP is an IAEA flagship initiative supporting the career development of women in the nuclear field through technical visits and professional training. The latest LMP visit took place from 14 to 25 July in Ontario, Canada, with funding support from Global Affairs Canada. Participants from 13 countries took part in the career development programme geared toward research reactor technologies with a focus on the cutting-edge facilities of hosts McMaster University, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) and Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (owner of CNL’s Chalk River campus).
“McMaster University’s advanced research reactors provided the Lise Meitner Programme participants with a unique, hands-on experience to explore how these reactors drive developments in nuclear technologies,” said Gloria Kwong, Head of the Decommissioning and Environmental Remediation Section and Chair of the LMP Technical Selection Committee at the IAEA.
Canada, which is home to four operational research reactors and 17 power reactors, provided the mid-career professionals with hands-on training and insight into its advanced nuclear technologies and tools, including an overview of nuclear reactor operations at the McMaster Nuclear Reactor (MNR), a 5 megawatt thermal open pool reactor located on campus and the Zero Energy Deuterium reactor at the Chalk River Laboratories.