The NEA convened 40 female students and early-career professionals in the nuclear energy field for the third NEA Global Forum Rising Stars Workshop at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. Held during the Nobel Prize week (10-12 December 2025), the event featured a keynote speech by 2023 Nobel Prize Laureate Anne L’Huillier about her own career journey in physics research.
Throughout the programme, invited experts from the nuclear sector shared their experience, knowledge and inspiring stories with the next generation of nuclear energy professionals. A highlight was a panel discussion on empowering women in STEM careers, where panellists from diverse backgrounds offered their personal insights and guidance to the Rising Stars. A session led by the Attract Taskforce of the NEA High-Level Group on Gender Balance (HLG-GB) discussed the experience of women entering the nuclear sector, including the barriers and challenges they face.
Keynote address by 2023 Nobel Prize Laureate Prof. Anne L’Huillier and a roundtable discussion
The Rising Stars, representing 38 institutions across 18 countries, presented their research on a wide range of nuclear science and policy topics, including materials testing, advancements in nuclear medicine, considerations for nuclear site selection, investigation of fuel properties, digital twin development and assessments of regional nuclear energy policies A judging committee awarded prizes for the top presentations, with Zoe Michanos from Ontario Tech University being recognised for her outstanding performance.
The Rising Stars also had an opportunity to showcase their research during an interactive poster session, where Jihyun Lee from Seoul National University, Korea, received the first-place prize.
Rising Stars showcasing their work through presentations and the poster session
Tours of the Nobel Prize Museum and the KTH laboratories gave a chance to explore inspiring Nobel Prize laurate stories and learn more about advanced nuclear technologies and experiments.
Visit to the Nobel Prize Museum
About the NEA Rising Stars programme
The NEA Global Forum Rising Stars Programme brings together young professionals and accomplished leaders from across the nuclear sector to foster mentorship, collaboration, and inspiration in STEM fields. The mission of the programme is to support early-career women in nuclear science, education and policy. By strengthening leadership skills and building global networks, the programme enables participants to exchange with peers and experts and contribute to discussions on the future of nuclear energy.
This year’s event built on the success of previous editions held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2023 and at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Karlsruhe in 2024.
To be notified of future updates about this event, please contact risingstars@oecd-nea.org.
