The Global Forum Rising Stars Programme’s mission is to reach out to female rising stars in science, technology, education and policy within the nuclear field and adjacent disciplines and welcome them into the global nuclear community.

Three Rising Stars Workshops have so far taken place at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, United States (2023), at the European Union Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Karlsruhe, Germany (2024) and at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden (2025).   

Following these events, workshop participants have been invited to submit their research papers for publication in special issues of the American Nuclear Society’s Nuclear Technology journal. The first issue was published in April 2026, marked with a launch webinar.

The fourth workshop will be held at the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) in Chalk River, Ontario, Canada from 27-29 October 2026, supported by Atomic Energy of Canada, Limited (AECL). The programme will feature high-level speakers, panel discussions, mentoring sessions and the opportunity for participants to present their own research. Rising Stars will also tour CNL’s site, including visits to research laboratories and other key facilities supporting CNL’s goals of Clean Energy, Health, Environment and Safety & Security.

Travel and accommodation for selected participants will be provided by AECL or by the participant’s nominating institution.

Each department head or academic programme head may nominate one female Rising Star from their department or programme for the workshop. Universities do not need to be Global Forum members to nominate a candidate. Nominees may be undergraduate students, graduate students, or early career postdoctoral scholars.

The nomination package consists of five elements:

1. 1-page letter of support from the department or programme head;
2. 1-page statement of purpose from the nominee;
3. Nominee’s CV or resume;
4. Proposed title and abstract for the presentation (noting if a poster or talk is preferred); and
5. Whether nominee can self-fund or whether travel funding is required.

The nomination package should be sent as a single PDF to the e-mail address risingstars@oecd-nea.org with the name of the file as: “LastName_RisingStars2026.pdf ”

The nomination deadline is 15 June 2026.