African Commission on Nuclear Energy Unit B2003, 169 Corobay Corner, Corobay Avenue, Waterkloof Glen, 0010 Pretoria, South Africa. Email [email protected]

Women’s Contributions to Building Strong State Systems of Accounting for and Control of Nuclear Material in Africa

AFCONE – INSEP/NNSA

08 March 2021 14:00 – 17:00 (GMT)

Speakers Profiles

https://www.afcone.org/ African Commission on Nuclear Energy PELINDABA African Nuclear Weapon Free-Zone Treaty

Ms Karyn Durbin has served as the program director of the DOE/NNSA’s International Nuclear Safeguards Engagement Program (INSEP) since 2016.

During her tenure, Ms. Durbin has expanded INSEP’s efforts to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards implementation to reach over 110 partner countries and organizations around the world. Ms. Durbin has over 15 years of experience working on non- proliferation and national security issues. Ms. Durbin was previously the team leader for the DOE/NNSA Safeguards Technology program and also served as acting chair of the U.S. government committee that oversees the U.S. Support Program to IAEA Safeguards She has contributed to DOE/NNSA’s efforts to dispose of Ms Karyn Durbin excess materials from the U.S. nuclear weapons Programme Director of the DOE/NNSA’s program including serving as a member of the U.S. INSEP (USA) negotiating team for a trilateral agreement with the IAEA to verify U.S. and Russian plutonium disposition. Ms. Durbin has also worked for the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on a variety of non- proliferation and cyber security programs. Karyn has a master’s degree in International Security Studies from Georgetown University and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Washington in Seattle. Professor of Radiation Molecular Biology - National Center for Radiation Research and Technology – Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority. 2000 – 2004 Delegation at the Department of Community, Occupation and Environmental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine - for teaching Molecular Biology. 1996—2003 Delegation at the National Institute of Laser Enhanced Sciences – Department of Medical and Biological Applications – Cairo University for Teaching Molecular Biology for Diploma and for Master qualification and establishing laboratories for Molecular Biology at the institute. PI of one CRP and one TC-AFRA projects related to IAEA. Supervision over 30 MSc, 20 MD and 15 PhD registered at Egyptian Prof Soheir Saad Korraa. Executive Secretary Universities Member of The National Specialized Women in Nuclear Africa Committee for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering 1999- 2015. 2017- Treasurer of the Pan African Environmental Mutagen Society , 2007- Secretary general of Egyptian Environmental Mutagen Society. 1999-2005 Vice secretary general Pan African Environmental Mutagen Society. 2002- 2008 Expert scientific advisors and consultant to the African Institute for Biomedical Science and Technology (ABiST). Founder and President of WiN and Executive Secretary of WiN Africa

https://www.afcone.org/ African Commission on Nuclear Energy PELINDABA African Nuclear Weapon Free-Zone Treaty

Ms Therese Renis the Director of the Division of Concepts and Planning in the Department of Safeguards in the IAEA. She joined the IAEA in 1991 as a safeguards inspector and has held positions of advisor to the Deputy Director General (Head of the Department of Safeguards), Head of Safeguards Operations Sections and Head of the Section for Safeguards Concepts and Approaches. Before joining the IAEA Ms Renis was an engineer with the Safeguards Programme at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Ms Renis was primarily responsible for evaluating, and developing tools for evaluating, the effectiveness of domestic Ms Therese Renis Director, Division of Concepts and Planning Department of Safeguards (IAEA) safeguards systems at DOE facilities, including assessing the cost-effectiveness of potential safeguards upgrades. : in Industrial and Operations Engineering, University of Michigan, 1981 in Operations Research, Stanford University, 1982

Ms Mosa Rasweswe is currently the Group Executive for Nuclear Compliance and Services at the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) since 2015.

Her main responsibility is to provide strategic direction and overall management for nuclear safety, licensing, security, and safeguards functions for the whole Necsa organization. Prior to her current position, she was the Head of Safeguards for South Africa’s State System of Accounting and Control (SSAC) Office.

Ms Mosa Raswere NECSA Group Executive. South Africa

She has over 15 years’ experience in the nonproliferation and nuclear safeguards field. She started her career in Non-Proliferation as a State Safeguards Inspector in 2003 and over the years moved to management positions in SSAC Office. She was a member of the South African Non-Proliferation Council from 2014 to 2019 and a member of the IAEA Standing Advisory Group on Safeguards Implementation from 2013 to 2018. She currently participates in various nuclear nonproliferation and security advisory policy making forums in South Africa. https://www.afcone.org/ African Commission on Nuclear Energy PELINDABA African Nuclear Weapon Free-Zone Treaty

Ms Saleha BOUNATIRO has graduated (Master in Biotechnology) from the University of Science and Technology Houari Boumediene (USTHB) – Algiers:

She followed a Specialized Training Course in IAEA Safeguards at the Algerian Institute for Training in Nuclear Engineering (IAGN/ COMENA), Algiers.

Since 2015, she works as an engineer in instrumental analysis techniques at the safeguards laboratory of the Algerian Atomic Energy Commission (COMENA).

Ms Saleha Bounatiro SSAC/ COMENA Algeria

She is in charge of non-destructive measurements (NDA) based on gamma spectrometry for uranium enrichment measurements.

Ms Bouchra Boustani is nuclear engineer by training. She started her carrier at the national Radiation Protection Centre in 1995 in the radiological environment monitoring department.

Since 2006, she was involved in nuclear security, radiological emergency preparedness and safeguards activities within its organization.

In December 2016, she joined the newly created nuclear regulatory body (AMSSNuR) and was appointed in February 2017 as Head of department of Nuclear Security and safeguards.

Ms Bouchra Boustani Head of Nuclear Security and Safeguards Department AMSSNuR. Morocco

She is, inter alia, in charge of elaborating and implementing the SSAC and Additional protocol requirements; coordinating international cooperation on nuclear security and Safeguards and support the competent authorities in implementing the nuclear security regime.

https://www.afcone.org/ African Commission on Nuclear Energy PELINDABA African Nuclear Weapon Free-Zone Treaty

Ms Segna Launini Bello is a staff of the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA) in the Department of Nuclear Safety Physical Security and Safeguards. She is a Senior Regulatory Officer with the Safeguards Unit. She joined NNRA in 2012.

Her responsibilities include the preparation and submission of ’s Nuclear Material Accounting reports and Additional Protocol Declarations to the IAEA through the State Declaration Portal (SDP) and facilitating the Annual IAEA Nuclear Safeguards Inspection at Nigerian Research Reactor- 1 (NiRR-1) and Locations outside Facilities (LOFs). Her responsibilities also include the conduct of Physical Inventory Verification in LOF's and Facilities; developing and

Ms Segna Launini Bello reviewing Regulations and Guidance Document; assisting in Department of Nuclear Safety organizing IAEA local training and workshop in Nigeria. Physical Security and Safeguards. NNRA. Nigeria

She has attended several International and National conferences/workshops. During these Workshops, she presented papers on various topical subjects on safeguards. She made a poster presentation at the 25th WiN Global Annual Conference, which held at Beijing. Segna Launini Bello is a graduate of Biochemistry from the Bingham University, Karu, Nasarawa State, Nigeria.

Ms Amina Agbab Uthman joined the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority in 2012 as a Regulatory Officer. Where she worked in the safeguard’s division, department of Physical Security, Nuclear Safety and Safeguards.

Her primary duties were focused on enabling Nigeria to meet its international and national safeguards and safety obligations in the application of nuclear energy and ionizing radiation. Prior to her position as a Safeguards Inspector at the IAEA, Amina worked for 8 years at the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority as a Safeguards Regulatory Officer. Amina has a BSc degree in Biochemistry from the , Nigeria. She proceeded to the University of Manchester, United Kingdom to obtain an MSc degree in Ms Amina Agbab Uthman Environmental Management and Technology. IAEA NSG Inspector Nigeria.

Amina is currently a member of the Nuclear Safeguards Education Portal (NSEP) online community. Amina has attended Safeguards training and professional development courses in Nigeria, , USA and Japan. Amina participated as a panellist on the topic Addressing Gender Balance in Nuclear Safeguards during the 2018 Symposium on International Safeguards. She is a fellow of the prestigious IAEA Safeguards Traineeship Program which she completed in 2016. She is a member of Women in Nuclear. She is currently Nuclear Safeguards Inspector at the IAEA. https://www.afcone.org/ African Commission on Nuclear Energy PELINDABA African Nuclear Weapon Free-Zone Treaty

Ms Triphine Nyirarukundo is a nuclear lawyer by training. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Law and a LLM in International Criminal Justice and Law of Human Rights from the University of .

Before joining the Regulatory Authority, she worked for 2 years with an Insurance Company, and one year with the Public Service Commission (PSC) as the Public Employees’ Litigation Officer.

In 2016 she joined the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA) as a Legal Officer and in 2017 when the government decided to add radiation and nuclear safety and security to the mandate of RURA, she took part to the national team

Ms Triphine Nyirarukundo that was created to put in place a regulatory framework for Legal Officer. Rwanda Utilities that new sector Regulatory Authority (RURA).

She is now part of the National Team in charge of implementation of the Nuclear Project.

In 2018 she went for the International School of Nuclear Law (ISNL) and later that year, she became member of the International Nuclear Law Association (INLA)

In July 2019, she was appointed as the National Safeguards Contact Point, and later on in 2020 the COMPASS Technical Point of Contact

Ms. Bianca Hlobsile Dlamini is an environmental chemist working for the Environment Authority as an Inspector for water pollution control and sound management of chemicals.

She holds a Master of Science Degree in Environmental Chemistry and Bachelor’s degree in Biology and Chemistry from the .

Part of her work includes reporting on issues of Safeguards to the IAEA on behalf of Eswatini.

Ms Bianca Dlamini Environment Inspector Chemicals and Water Pollution, Eswatini Environment Authority (Eswatini)

She is also involved in the preparatory work for creating an enabling environment for peaceful uses of nuclear material in Eswatini

https://www.afcone.org/ African Commission on Nuclear Energy PELINDABA African Nuclear Weapon Free-Zone Treaty

Ms Susan Pickett is the Section Head, Safeguards Training, Department of Safeguards.

She has worked as a Safeguards Inspector and a Training Development Officer at the IAEA, and in the field of nuclear energy and non-proliferation throughout her career.

She is passionate about helping others learn and fulfil their own potential.

Prior to her career at the IAEA, Ms Pickett was an Associate Professor at the University of Tokyo in Nuclear Energy and worked as a project lead at Los

Ms Susan Pickett Alamos National Laboratory. Section Head (SGCP-CTR). IAEA.

She has also worked in the oil and software industries. She has a Ph.D. from the University of Tokyo, and Masters from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Ms Jenae Armstrong is an IAEA Program Assistant and DEI Lead at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL/DOE) in the United States.

In this role, she recruits and assists U.S. citizens applying to positions in IAEA’s non-Safeguards departments and fosters diversity and inclusion at the laboratory.

Prior to joining Argonne, Jenae served as an Associate HR Officer (Gender Equality) at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

During this tenure, she increased gender parity in

professional level positions and trained senior staff in Ms Jenae Armstrong the implementation of the Gender Action Plan. Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) USA

She also worked with UN Women on the symposium “Enhancing Women’s Share in Peace and Security,” and on international peace and security issues with International Peace Institute and the U.S. Embassy in Vienna.

Ms Jenae is from the United States and speaks English, Spanish and German. She holds a MA in Advanced International Studies from the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna-Vienna School of International Studies and a B.A. in International Relations and Spanish from Mount Holyoke College.

https://www.afcone.org/ African Commission on Nuclear Energy PELINDABA African Nuclear Weapon Free-Zone Treaty