Nuclear Security News and Member Updates Roundup, September 2024

Dear Friend,

Our newsletter this month includes a number of headlines on emerging technologies, including the release of a collaborative report by the nuclear regulators of Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States outlining high-level principles for the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) to ensure continued safe and secure operation of nuclear facilities, and other uses of nuclear materials. While not formal guidance or rules, the report is nevertheless a useful contribution to the rapidly evolving landscape around this potentially transformative technology. We also recommend to your attention the nuclear security reports included in the agenda of the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) held last month as well as the final nuclear security resolution adopted by the Conference.

In addition, we bring you a number of reports regarding lost or stolen radioactive sources, as well as disturbing reports about safety and security incidents at Ukraine’s nuclear power plants. This month the reports from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) list incidents not just at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia plant but others spread across the country, where IAEA monitoring teams took shelter due to air-raid sirens. The South Ukraine NPP was transferred to cold shutdown to repair the electrical motor of one of its main cooling pumps, which was damaged in military attacks on the electrical grid outside the plant on August 26.

All these reports underline the point of another piece we have included from the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists this week: the broad nature of the risks to nuclear power plants in conflict zones even as many countries in unstable regions around the world mull adding nuclear power to their mix to meet growing energy needs as well as climate goals.

We are grateful to all Forum members for the work they do every day to illuminate and mitigate these risks.

Wishing all a fruitful month ahead.

Christina,

Director, International Nuclear Security Forum

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Updates

• The INSF also welcomes its newest member organizations:
  • The Bellona Foundation
  • Fundación Argentina Global
• INSF Director Christina McAllister and Coordinator Braden Holt published their commentary, “Kursk Nuclear Power Plant at Risk?” It discusses the dangers posed by Ukraine’s offensive in Russia’s Kursk region to the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant and nuclear security norms more broadly. Read the piece.
• INSF is excited to announce the newest additions to its Advisory Board:
  • Alex Barrow is the lead for Government & International Stakeholder Relations at Nuclear Transport Solutions (NTS), the leading provider of nuclear and radioactive material transportation services and part of the UK’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. Alex served for several years in UK government roles, from 2017-2021 as Head of International Nuclear Security, Non-Proliferation and IAEA Policy at the former Dept for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, during which he managed the UK’s flagship Nuclear Security Culture Programme.
  • Sarah Case Lackner is a Senior Fellow at the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP).  She was previously a Senior Nuclear Security Officer in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)’s Division of Nuclear Security, where she served as the Scientific Secretary for the Nuclear Security Guidance Committee and the Director General’s Advisory Committee on Nuclear Security.
  • Julián Gadano is a Professor at Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires and Director of Nuclear Affairs at Fundación Argentina Global, a Buenos Aires based think tank focused on global issues. He has served as Deputy Secretary of Energy of Argentina, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Nucleoeléctrica Argentina, Chairman of the International Framework for Nuclear Energy Cooperation (IFNEC) and sous-sherpa to the Argentina representative at the Nuclear Security Summits 2012-2016.
  • Nataliia Klos is a Senior Project Manager with the World Institute for Nuclear Security (WINS) and a nuclear security expert with more than 20 years of experience in the field of physical protection, including at the IAEA, the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine. She is President, Co-founder and a member of the Board of Directors of the Black Sea Women in Nuclear Network.
• FUNDING APPEAL: If you appreciate this newsletter, please consider a donation to ensure sustainability into the future. Donate here and specify where indicated that your gift is intended to support the INSF. Institutional funding for civil society’s nuclear security work is increasingly hard to come by, as many readers already know, and the International Nuclear Security Forum appreciates your support!

Nuclear Security News

Impact: The Russian Invasion of Ukraine

• Update 247 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine (August 29): “[International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)] Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi will…travel [on the week of September 2] to Ukraine to hold high-level talks and assess developments at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), where nuclear safety and security remains precarious. It will be the fifth time that the Director General crosses the frontline to access the ZNPP after he established a permanent IAEA presence at the site two years ago, on September 1, 2022, to monitor nuclear safety and security. It is the tenth time he is in Ukraine since the conflict began in February 2022. ‘The IAEA acts promptly and decisively whenever and wherever there are threats to nuclear safety and security. Our pro-active presence is of paramount importance to help stabilize the situation.  My message has been loud and clear throughout this tragic war: a nuclear accident must be avoided at all costs, and a nuclear power plant must never be attacked. The consequences could be disastrous, and no one stands to benefit from it. I remain determined to do everything in my power to protect nuclear safety and security as long as the fighting continues,’ he said.”
• IAEA Report Highlights Two Years of Efforts to Prevent an Accident at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (September 4): “The [IAEA] issued a new report [on September 4] on its efforts to ensure nuclear safety and security during the conflict in Ukraine, two years after Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi crossed the frontline to establish the IAEA’s presence at the [ZNPP] site and help prevent a nuclear accident. The 28-page report highlights the challenges and achievements of the IAEA’s activities to protect Europe’s largest nuclear power plant since Director General Grossi launched the historic mission on September 1, 2022. During this time, the IAEA teams at the site have reported on incidents including shelling and drone strikes at the facility, which has also suffered repeated loss of off-site power events.”
• Update 248 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine (September 5): “IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi examined a cooling tower at Ukraine’s [ZNPP]…to assess the damage it suffered in a major fire last month, the latest incident underlining persistent nuclear safety and security dangers at the site during the military conflict. The visit to one of the ZNPP’s two cooling towers took place during the Director General’s fifth mission to the sprawling industrial site in southern Ukraine, and two years after he first crossed the frontline to establish a continued presence of IAEA staff at the plant and help prevent a nuclear accident there. Inside the cooling tower, he saw significant damage on the interior walls, debris and blackened surfaces after ascending about 15 meters up into the massive concrete structure located more than one kilometer away from the six reactors, which are all in cold shutdown and do not currently need the cooling towers to remove residual heat.”
• Update 249 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine (September 13): “The nuclear safety and security situation in Ukraine remains fragile because of the armed conflict, with IAEA staff continuing to hear the sound of military activities close to some of the sites, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said today. ‘During the third year of this tragic war, the dangers to nuclear safety and security are still all too real. We are determined to continue our efforts to help prevent a nuclear accident,’ Director General Grossi said. At the [ZNPP during the week of September 9], the IAEA team requested and was granted access to a transport workshop four kilometers from the plant following a reported drone attack there on September 7.  They observed a hole in one roof and two trucks that were slightly impacted. The team did not see any damage relevant to nuclear safety and security.”
• Update 250 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine (September 19): “Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi [on the week of September 16] informed the annual Member States gathering of the [IAEA] about its expanding efforts to help prevent a nuclear accident during the military conflict in Ukraine, saying the IAEA had deployed more than 140 support and assistance missions to the country over the past two years. ‘As the war in Ukraine has continued, so has our support to help maintain the safety and security of its nuclear facilities. Our assistance has grown and adapted. For example, we are taking a more proactive stance to monitoring those electrical substations that are essential in providing a stable electricity supply to Ukraine’s nuclear power plants, which is critical for maintaining nuclear safety,’ Director General Grossi said in Monday’s opening statement to the General Conference, attended by senior officials from the IAEA’s 178 Member States.”
• Ukraine Says Russia is Planning Strikes on Nuclear Facilities (September 21): “Ukraine’s foreign minister said on [September 21] that Russia is planning strikes on Ukrainian nuclear facilities before the winter, and urged the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog and Ukraine’s allies to establish permanent monitoring missions at the country’s nuclear plants. ‘According to Ukrainian intelligence, (the) Kremlin is preparing strikes on Ukrainian nuclear energy critical objects ahead of winter,’ Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha wrote on X. ‘In particular, it concerns open distribution devices at (nuclear power plants and) transmission substations, critical for the safe operation of nuclear energy.’ Sybiha did not elaborate on why Kyiv believed such strikes were being prepared. There was no immediate comment from Moscow.”
• Update 251 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine (September 26): “Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi addressed world leaders gathered at the United Nations [the week of September 23] and yet, even as he informed them about the ceaseless work of the [IAEA] to help Ukraine avert a nuclear accident during the military conflict, the Agency teams stationed at the country’s nuclear power plants (NPPs) continued to report about drones and other military activities nearby. Ahead of this year’s United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Director General Grossi spoke at the Summit of the Future about the IAEA’s mission to foster peace and development around the world, including by assisting Ukraine in ensuring nuclear safety and security during a large-scale conflict that is now well into its third year. Noting that Ukraine used to generate more than half its electricity from nuclear power before the conflict began in February 2022, he said: ‘From the first months of the war, the IAEA has focused on assisting Ukraine in preventing a radiological or nuclear accident, which could have serious transborder consequences.’”

International Architecture

• Kenya, US Convene Forum to Bolster Nuclear Security: “Kenya and the United States have convened a five-day forum in Nairobi to explore ways of bolstering nuclear security. Kenya Nuclear Regulatory Authority (KNRA) and the US National Nuclear Security Administration’s Office of International Nuclear Security target stakeholders in government and the security sector. The talks in Gigiri, coming just days after Kenya hosted the 2024 US-Africa Nuclear Energy Summit, are meant to boost the country’s institutional and regulatory capacity to harness nuclear.”
• IAEA Assistance Helps Liberia Avert Radiological Emergency: “Liberia has moved to fast track its accession to nuclear safety treaties, after IAEA experts helped prevent a radiological incident from shutting down the country’s main hospital. In May 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia reached out to the IAEA’s Incident and Emergency Centre (IEC) for assistance after staff detected an unidentified radioactive source in a maintenance room at the John F. Kennedy Medical Centre in Monrovia. If the source had not been managed swiftly, it could have led to significant disruptions, adversely impacting thousands of patients. The IAEA developed a plan and deployed a fact-finding mission team comprising the IEC response system coordinator and a disused sealed sources specialist, who arrived in Monrovia on May 21. By the following day, the source was secured and the hospital could continue its work uninterrupted. Liberia’s request for assistance was made pursuant to the operational arrangements under the framework of the Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency, which sets out an international framework for co-operation between State Parties and the IAEA to facilitate prompt support. Liberia was not a party to this convention at the time but joined it and five other IAEA legal instruments at the IAEA 68th General Conference.”

Threats

• Kursk Nuclear Power Plant: The Newest Target for Russian Disinformation: “The recent Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk oblast has raised concerns over the potential risks to the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP), with Russia endeavoring to paint a picture of the KNPP as being in imminent danger from Ukrainian military attack. Yet, Moscow’s accusations that Ukraine is planning to target the KNPP have had no grounding in evidence. Instead, the Russian narrative appears to be yet another effort by Moscow to leverage nuclear safety and fears of a nuclear accident for political operational gain in its war against Ukraine. As it stands, there is little operational or strategic incentive for Ukraine to threaten the safety of the facility.”
• Polish Police Investigate Potentially Radioactive Substances Found in Residential Building: “Polish authorities are investigating potentially radioactive substances found in around 50 containers in a residential building in western Poland, officials said on [September 6], adding there was no need for an evacuation of the surrounding area. Firefighters from the chemical threat unit were called by the police on [the] morning [of September 6] to investigate the substances found in the village of Siedlec, around 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the border with Germany.”
• Significant Quantity of Radioactive Material Discovered in Bulgarian Town: “A significant quantity of the highly valuable and radioactive metal americium was uncovered in a covert operation led by the District Prosecutor’s Office in Plovdiv, in collaboration with the Ministry of the Interior and the State Agency for National Security (SANS).”
• Stolen Radioisotopes Pose Risk in Mexico: “Theft of radioactive material in Mexico has risen over the past decade. The targets of the crimes are typically the vehicles transporting them, not the isotopes themselves. But any mishandling of these substances poses a significant threat to humans, animals, and the environment. That’s the conclusion of a paper published in Crime Prevention and Community Safety that analyzed data from 2011 to 2023…The data were provided by the National Commission for Nuclear Safety and Safeguards (CNSNS), one of the Mexican authorities responsible for monitoring the proper handling of the substances. The authors found 33 cases of theft in the past 12 years and an increasing trend over the period. Of the 10 radioactive isotopes described, the most frequently stolen were iridium-192, iodine-131, and cesium-137.”

Emerging Technologies

• The US is Dismantling Nuclear Warheads to Power the Next Generation of Reactors: “Inside a highly classified facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee — the same facility that enriched uranium for the first atomic bomb in the era of the Manhattan Project — workers are turning old, unexploded warheads into fuel that will power cities. The recipe to create advanced reactor fuel involves melting weapons-grade uranium with low-enriched uranium in a crucible — a massive, metal cauldron heated to around 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit to turn its contents into molten soup. Emerging from its furnace, a glowing orange cast filled with the hot liquid uranium is slowly lowered into a cooling chamber. The hardened finished product, which looks like black charcoal, can be safely held in-hand. This fuel is set to power the next generation of America’s nuclear reactors — small, modular power stations that are easier and cheaper to build. They require far less upkeep and physical space than the aging fleet of large nuclear power plants.”
• AI in Nuclear Sector: NRC Report Highlights Safety, Security Imperatives: “The nuclear energy industry should prioritize ‘safety and security’ in its deployment of artificial intelligence systems, according to a recent report from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The report from the NRC, in partnership with the United Kingdom’s Office for Nuclear Regulation and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, provided potential requirements for AI use and governance that industry may adopt. The implementation of AI requires continuous monitoring, a modular approach, and data integrity alongside clear documentation, according to the regulatory agencies.”
• Nuclear Power: Future Energy Solution or Potential War Target?: “Innovative small modular reactors, floating nuclear plants, and microreactors offer potential routes to decarbonization that many countries are embracing. However, these emerging technologies elevate concerns that wartime attacks could expose warfighters and civilians to nuclear fallout. The risk of such exposure could enable states or non-state actors to threaten nuclear consequences without violating the taboo against using nuclear weapons—weakening international resolve to intervene in conflicts. Russia’s occupation of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has already set a dangerous precedent that could sway the course of future wars. More recently, Russia’s Kursk nuclear power plant also came under threat when Ukrainian forces advanced across the border.”

Member Organization Announcements and Updates

Spotlight: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Lines of Effort

• Gender Champions in Nuclear Policy (GCNP) hosted Louis Reitmann, Research Fellow at the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VDNP) at a lunch discussion featuring his recent paper “Gender Language in Multilateral Diplomacy: Analyzing Recent Pushback in Vienna.” It examines the recent pushback by Iran against gender equality language in the multilateral forums in Vienna, Austria. Read the paper and watch the discussion.
• Shahneela Tariq of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies has launched a new podcast Women in Nuclear Security. The podcast is dedicated to amplifying the voices of women in nuclear security – Shahneela will interview inspiring women and men and emerging leaders from all areas of nuclear security, discussing current events and policy issues, and offering career advice and mentorship. Listen to the podcast.
• On 18 September 2024, VCDNP and the International Affairs Institute (IAI), as part of the Young Women and Next Generation Initiative (YWNGI), launched the 4th edition of the Young Women in Non-Proliferation and Disarmament (YWNPD) Mentorship Programme. The Mentorship Programme, established in 2021 and organised in the framework of the EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium (EUNPDC), pairs 20 young women (mentees), chosen through a highly competitive selection process, with well-established experts in the field (mentors). Mentors and mentees engage in a mentoring relationship that envisions, among other things, regular video or in-person meetings. Read more about the program.
  

International Institute for Strategic Studies

• Fabian Hinz published the report, “Iranian missile deliveries to Russia: escalating military cooperation in Ukraine,” on September 18, 2024. Now that Iran has begun delivering several hundred close-range ballistic missiles to Russia for use against Ukraine, this marks a new phase of the military collaboration between Moscow and Tehran. Read more.
• Zuzanna Gwadera published the report, “North Korea doubles down on short-range ballistic-missile production” on August 27, 2024. It argues that as part of North Korea’s move towards fielding smaller nuclear warheads, the country has emphasised the development and deployment of a large number of associated delivery systems. Read more.
• The Arms Control Poseur podcast posted a new episode, “The future of the North Korean UN Sanctions Regime with Dr Aaron Arnold,” on September 19, 2024. Host Wolf-Christian Paes is joined by Dr Aaron Arnold to explore the evolving landscape of sanctions imposed on North Korea. As the regime continues its nuclear ambitions and tests the patience of the international community, we examine how effective the current sanctions are, what changes could be on the horizon, and how global powers like the U.S., China and Russia are influencing the future of these measures. Listen to the podcast.

Nuclear Threat Initiative

• A major new gift from Joe Gebbia and Isabelle Boemeke to Clean Air Task Force (CATF), the EFI Foundation (EFIF), and the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) will establish and empower the Nuclear Scaling Initiative (NSI)—a collaborative effort to catalyze and build a new nuclear energy ecosystem to scale to 50 or more gigawatts of clean, safe, and secure nuclear power per year by the 2030s, a tenfold increase of the current deployment rate. The gift awards $5 million to the NSI partnership to produce and socialize first-of-their-kind analyses and intellectual products among relevant governments, stakeholders, and opinion leaders aimed at transforming the nuclear energy ecosystem. It also establishes a second $5 million matching challenge to encourage additional philanthropic support from individual and institutional donors. Read more about the initiative.

Odesa Center for Nonproliferation

• Ali Alkis published “The Role of Industry and Academia in Implementing UNSCR 1540” in the Second Issue of UNICRI’s Compass 1540. Ali analyses the crucial roles of NGOs in supporting the implementation of UNSCR 1540 through compliance, innovation, and research. Read the article.
• Ali Alkis was interviewed by Buenger PundP for a documentary about Turkish-Russian nuclear cooperation, the Build-Own-Operate model, and nuclear security during armed conflict. It is scheduled to air in Europe later in 2025.

Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation

• On September 4, 2024, VCDNP hosted a workshop to explore the rapidly evolving role of generative artificial intelligence. The interactive workshop provided participants with the foundational knowledge necessary to understand and navigate the complex challenges and opportunities of emerging AI-applications in the realm of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) non‑proliferation. The training was led by Dr. Natasha Bajema, Senior Research Associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) and brought together 21 diplomats and policymakers from Vienna’s international community. Find out more about the workshop.
• A VCDNP delegation actively participated in the IAEA’s annual General Conference (GC) from September 16 to 20, 2024. Non-Resident Senior Fellow Laura Rockwood participated in a side event seeking to raise awareness about the amendment of Article VI of the IAEA’s Statute. This amendment would increase the Board of Governors’ membership and ensure that all IAEA Member States are assigned to regional groups. Senior Research Associate Noah Mayhew participated in a side event addressing the challenges of safeguarding nuclear material and facilities in crisis situations. The event sought to draw from previous experiences and interdisciplinary research to identify vulnerabilities of safeguards in specific scenarios and propose areas for strengthening safeguards effectiveness and resilience. Read about their participation.
• On April 23 and 24, 2024, the VCDNP, in cooperation with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), hosted a high-level workshop on legal instruments for nuclear security to promote adherence among parliamentarians to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM), its 2005 Amendment, and the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT). Read the report and watch the launch event.
• Interest in high-assay low enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel is increasing globally, in particular for small modular reactor fuel cycle concepts. In this context, a new paper written by VCDNP Non-Resident Senior Fellow John Carlson analyses the implications of HALEU for the International Atomic Energy Agency’s safeguards system and the non-proliferation regime. HALEU is uranium enriched between five and 20 percent uranium-235. Its higher enrichment compared to uranium typically used in power reactors today makes it more efficient, but also poses potential proliferation risks. Read the paper.

Individual Member Updates

• Stephen J. Cimbala and Lawrence J. Korb published “Biden focused on strategic stability. His successor should embrace arms control,” in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Read the piece.
• Trevor Findlay participated in a workshop co-sponsored by the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Project on Nuclear Issues (CSIS PONI) and the United States Studies Centre (USSC) at the University of Sydney on September 16 on the topic of “Domestic Perspectives on Nuclear Deterrence and Nonproliferation.”
• Vitaly Fedchenko and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) are hosting a course on WMD non-proliferation and disarmament. The course will take place on 2–5 December 2024 in Stockholm, Sweden. The course will cover the fundamentals of biological, chemical and nuclear weapons, as well as of missiles and other means of WMD delivery; threats associated with the military use of WMD and potential terrorist uses of chemical, biological, radioactive and nuclear (CBRN) material (i.e. CBRN terrorism); arms control treaties; WMD-free zones; non-proliferation treaties and means of their verification; export controls; and mechanisms aimed at achieving disarmament. The course will also examine gender perspectives on armament and disarmament, as well as cover potential career paths in these disciplines. Read further for details and instructions on how to apply.
• Artem Lazarev from the CBRN Terrorism Prevention Programme of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) shared that:
  • On September 25, 2024, Mozambique deposited its instrument of ratification of the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT). This event culminates over a decade of excellent cooperation between the country and UNODC on this Convention. Read more.
  • On August 13-15, 2024, as part of its continuous efforts to promote the universalization and effective implementation of ICSANT, UNODC conducted a Canada-funded workshop and held a series of key bilateral meetings with national stakeholders of Mozambique. Find out more about the workshop and meetings.
  • On September 13-15, 2024, UNODC held the first ICSANT Universalization Youth Academy, with the support of Canada. Read about the academy.
  • Webinar Series: On September 6, 2024, UNODC held a webinar in Russian on nuclear forensics and ICSANT. It was the fourth event in a webinar series funded by the European Union. Read about and watch the webinar.
• Bahram Ghiassee was quoted by Reuters in the piece, “Putin draws a nuclear red line for the West,” on September 27, 2024. The article analyzes recent changes to the Russian nuclear doctrine and their implications for future conflict. Read the article.

Opportunities

• The National Nuclear Security Administration Minority Serving Institutions Internship Program (NNSA-MSIIP) is accepting applications for their 2025-2026 cohort. The program provides paid opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) pursuing degrees in critical science, engineering, technology, mathematics, and other disciplines that complement current and future missions of the NNSA. Read more.
• The National Nuclear Security Administration Graduate Fellowship Program (NNSA-NGFP) is accepting applications for their 2025-2026 cohort. Fellows work alongside leading experts at NNSA program and site offices; participate in exclusive professional development, networking, and training opportunities; and engage with national security stake­holders and support leading events and activities around the world. Read more.
• The National Nuclear Security Administration is accepting applications for the first cohort of its post-bachelor’s fellowship. This opportunity is a career gateway that provides real-world experience working in the NNSA program and site offices making significant contributions to the nation; specialized training, leadership, and career development and networking; and collaboration with professionals and leading researchers in activities and events around the world. Read more.
• Parsons Corporation is seeking a Project Manager for their Global Nuclear Security Projects portfolio – a U.S. Government contract. The Project Manager will provide direction and management for small to medium-sized international nuclear security projects. The projects work with nuclear material security, including efforts to ensure the secure storage and transportation of nuclear warheads, weapons-usable nuclear material, and high-threat radiological material. Read more.
• The Partnership for Global Security (PGS) is seeking applicants for their Research Internship. The intern will primarily focus on researching nuclear security, nuclear energy, and transnational governance issues. Current research projects that interns will support include: exploring the nexus of climate change, nuclear power growth and global security; understanding the growth of nuclear energy in the Middle East and East Asia; tracking the evolution of nuclear security policies and governance structures; using existing voluntary frameworks as a model for nuclear security governance structures; and examining cybersecurity and other potential threats prompted by new technology developments. Read more. 
• The Partnership for Global Security (PGS) is seeking candidates for the Della Ratta Global Energy and Security Fellowship. This is a $15,000 stipend-supported six-month position. The applicant’s term will run from January-June 2025. The Della Ratta Fellowship is a unique opportunity for early career candidates to develop the skills and experience that are necessary for a rapidly evolving technological, security, and geopolitical environment. The primary focus is on addressing the intensifying intersection of nuclear energy and commerce, climate change, global security, geopolitics, and international energy security. Read more.
• NTI is seeking a Program Officer/Senior Program Officer for their Nuclear Materials Security program. This selected candidate will help lead NMS efforts to improve global nuclear materials security, including in the area of nuclear energy. Responsibilities will include: developing and implementing activities related to securing, reducing, and safeguarding special nuclear materials; developing and implementing activities related to the responsible expansion of nuclear energy; developing and implementing activities related to building capacity in international institutions related to nuclear security; representing NTI at professional conferences and international diplomatic meetings; planning and implementing NMS program activities, including establishing milestones and mitigating project risks, as well as other project management tasks. Read more.
• The Laboratory of Applied Nuclear Physics (LANPh) is announcing two openings at the level of a postdoc and/or research scientist. The selected scientists will have the chance to work on groundbreaking research in nuclear physics applied to problems in nuclear security, such as arms control, cargo security, and nuclear detection. The principal duties include contributing to existing projects at LANPh in leading/co-leading roles’ guiding graduate and undergraduate students in their research, designing experiments and new engineering concepts, and co-authoring papers and proposals.Read more.
• GDIT is seeking a candidate to serve as a FIRST Nuclear Security, Scientist Engagement, and Science Centers Program Analyst in support of the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation’s Office of Cooperative Threat Reduction (ISN/CTR) at the U.S. Department of State. ISN/CTR manages several nonproliferation assistance programs to reduce the threats posed by proliferator states and terrorist groups seeking to develop or acquire Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) material, equipment, or expertise, advanced conventional weapons, and delivery systems. It is a “dual-hatted” position with the candidate serving as a Program Analyst for both the Foundational Infrastructure for the Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Technology (FIRST) and Science Centers programs. Read more.