Susana Reyes assumes chair of American Nuclear Society Fusion Energy Division

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) nuclear engineer Susana Reyes has assumed the 2014-15 chairmanship of the American Nuclear Society (ANS) Fusion Energy Division, following her election as vice chair in 2012.

Reyes has more than 12 years of experience in international fusion projects. She joined LLNL in 2001 to pursue her interest in fusion science and worked on the safety analysis of inertial fusion energy power plant designs. Since then, she has worked in a variety of fusion research projects, such as the U.S. ITER Test Blanket Module program for the testing of tritium breeding blanket concepts within the ITER magnetic fusion facility, now under construction in Cadarache, France.

She also has been deeply involved in neutronics and materials damage simulations at LLNL in support of high-energy accelerators and the National Ignition Facility. From 2006 until early 2010, Reyes took a leave of absence from LLNL to join the ITER organization in France to support the project through the performance and coordination of safety analyses and associated documentation in preparation for ITER licensing.

Reyes said her main objective as chair of the ANS Fusion Energy Division is to "promote the development and timely introduction of fusion energy as a sustainable energy source with favorable economic, environmental and safety attributes, through cooperation with other organizations on common issues of multidisciplinary fusion science and technology." View a profileand video interviewfor more about her career and plans.

Among the major activities planned by the division over the next two years are the bi-annual ANS Topical Meeting on the Technology of Fusion Energy (the next one is in November 2014), and co-sponsoring several other meetings important to fusion science and technology. The division also supports the ANS journal,Fusion Science and Technology, and the professional recognition of members by means of three awards in the area of fusion.

Reyes earned a master's of science degree in power engineering from the Polytechnic University of Madrid in 1998 and a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from the UNED University in Madrid in 2001. In 2012, she received the ANS Mary Jane Oestermann Professional Women's Achievement Award, which recognized her "leadership in developing detailed hazard and safety analyses for both inertial and magnetic fusion facilities, including NIF and ITER, and future power reactors." This award is given annually for outstanding personal dedication and technical achievement by a woman in the fields of nuclear science, engineering, research or education.

The American Nuclear Society is a scientific and educational organization working to promote the awareness and understanding of nuclear science and technology. Membership comprises 11,000 engineers, scientists, administrators and educators representing more than 1,600 corporations, educational institutions and government agencies.