IAEA Expands Women in Nuclear Initiative with Australia Visit

“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.”

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has launched its first 2026 professional visit under the flagship Lise Meitner Programme (LMP), bringing 22 women nuclear professionals to Australia for an intensive two-week training focused on nuclear medicine, research reactors and advanced nuclear applications.

Hosted by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) from 9–20 February in Sydney, the visit marked the seventh since the programme’s launch in 2023 and signals continued global momentum to close the gender gap in the nuclear sector.

Named after Austrian-Swedish physicist Lise Meitner, co-discoverer of nuclear fission, the initiative aims to accelerate women’s career progression in nuclear science through hands-on professional exchanges hosted by IAEA Member States.

Strengthening Women’s Leadership in Nuclear

Women currently represent less than a quarter of the global nuclear workforce, according to the IAEA. The LMP addresses this imbalance by offering mid-career professionals technical exposure, leadership training and international networking opportunities.

“ANSTO’s facilities and expertise exemplify how nuclear research infrastructure and applications can be integrated to deliver tangible social benefits,” said 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.”

Participants this year came from multiple regions, reflecting the programme’s growing global reach.

Advancing Nuclear Medicine and Research

A central focus of the Australian visit was nuclear medicine production and research reactor operations, key components of modern cancer diagnostics and treatment.

Participants toured:

• The 20-megawatt OPAL research reactor, which produces commercial quantities of medical radioisotopes

• The ANSTO Nuclear Medicine Production Facility

• The Australian Centre for Accelerator Science

• The Minerals and Gamma Irradiation Facility

• The Royal North Shore Nuclear Medicine Department and National Total Body PET/CT Facility

For many participants, the training has direct national impact.

“Participating in the IAEA Lise Meitner Programme has been both a joy and a privilege,” said Firliyani Ningsih, a researcher at Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN).

“My country is developing its first research cyclotron to produce radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals for PET scans in cancer diagnosis and tuberculosis detection.”

Linking Nuclear Science to Sustainable Development

The programme highlighted how nuclear technologies contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including applications in:

• Human health and cancer treatment

• Environmental monitoring

• Agriculture and food security

• Ocean health

• Industrial quality control

Beyond technical skills, the visit included modules on resilient communication, leadership development and emotional intelligence, equipping participants to advance into senior roles in a traditionally male-dominated field.

“Hosting the IAEA Lise Meitner Programme reflects ANSTO’s commitment to empowering women to lead, innovate and shape the future of nuclear science and technology,” said Jasmine Reay, Group Executive of Infrastructure and Engineering Services at ANSTO.

Building a Global Network

Since its launch by IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi in 2023, the LMP has supported more than 100 women from 45 countries. Previous visits have taken place in Argentina, Canada, Japan, the Republic of Korea and the United States.

The programme complements the IAEA Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme, which provides scholarships for women pursuing master’s degrees in nuclear-related fields and offers internship placements.

Together, the initiatives aim to build a diverse, highly skilled workforce capable of meeting rising global demand for nuclear expertise — particularly in areas such as clean energy, cancer care and climate resilience.

2026 Global Expansion

Following the Australia visit, additional 2026 LMP exchanges are scheduled in:

• The Russian Federation, hosted by Rosatom and the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research

• Austria, hosted by Orano and the IAEA

• France, hosted by ITER and the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA)

The programme is funded through extra-budgetary and in-kind contributions from IAEA Member States and donors, with the agency calling for additional partners across government, academia and industry.

As global investment in nuclear energy and technology accelerates — driven by energy transition goals and medical innovation — the Lise Meitner Programme positions women scientists and engineers at the centre of the sector’s next chapter.