The Rector Opened the IAEA Regional Peer-to-Peer Workshop on Nuclear Forensics at the UNWE

The UNWE is the host of five-day IAEA Regional Peer-to-Peer Workshop on Nuclear Forensics of the International Atomic Energy Agency /IAEA/. Experts and scientists from all over the world gathered in the Small Conference Hall to discuss specific technical issues in such an extremely important area as nuclear forensics, which deals not only with the analysis of captured nuclear and radioactive materials beyond regulatory control in order to establish their origin, history and route of trafficking, but also with the study of isotope, chemical and physical characteristics, thus supporting investigations and preventing acts of nuclear terrorism.

The meeting was opened by the Rector of UNWE Prof. Dr. Dimitrov Dimitrov, moderator is Dr. Tashiema Ulrich, Research and Development Associate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), a prominent nuclear engineer and researcher, recognized for his groundbreaking Doctoral work, with experience working at the International Atomic Energy Agency /IAEA/ in Vienna, Austria. The forum was attended by Prof. Dr. Svetoslav Spasov, Director of the Nuclear Security Support Center and the Institute for Enhancing Research Capacity in the Field of Nuclear Industry and Nuclear Security and lecturer at the UNWE National and Regional Security Department, and PhD student Georgy Tasev from the National and Regional Security Department.

Prof. Dr. Svetoslav Spasov, the Rector Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov, Dr. Tashiema Ulrich and PhD student Georgy Tasev

The Rector Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov welcomed the guests and participants in the forum and presented the UNWE as the oldest and largest business university in Bulgaria and Southeast Europe with 8 Faculties and nearly 20 000 students. He emphasized the importance of the IAEA Regional Meeting for the development of nuclear forensics and the prevention of acts of nuclear terrorism and explained that it is no coincidence that our university is the host of the event. “12 years ago with the support of the International Atomic Energy Agency /IAEA/ we established our International Master's Programme in Nuclear Security and many of our international students who graduated from it in Bulgaria already have a successful career in their countries, which is the greatest attestation of the success of the Programme”, pointed out the Rector and outlined that the UNWE has also been designated as the IAEA Cooperation Center in the field of nuclear security. “In recent years, we have also been working on the creation of several more capacity building projects related to the Small Modular Reactors /SMR`s/ and Artificial Intelligence /AI/, as well as on various initiatives with the United States through the Nuclear Security Support Center, which has been designated as an IAEA Cooperation Center," said Prof. Dimitrov. He pointed out the necessity of discussions and cooperation between the academic circles and institutions on the topics of nuclear security, emphasizing that in the past week the UNWE hosted the Annual Regional Conference of the Black Sea Women in Nuclear Network /BSWN/ with the participation of over 60 women working in the field of nuclear security. “Thus, step by step, our university develops as a center of many activities related to the nuclear field, and our students, during their studies in the Master's Programme in Nuclear Security, also study nuclear forensics and disciplines directly related to the nuclear industry and the nuclear sector”, said the Rector in conclusion and emphasized the necessity of funding and special equipment for the preparation and training of highly qualified specialists in the field of nuclear security.

The work of the forum is organized in five days and it is focused on specific topics of nuclear forensics, and in addition to lectures, the programme includes exercises and discussions on technical cases.