Australia must seize nuclear science opportunities to meet challenges on the horizon

Maintain the health of Australians through medical research and its translation into care. Defend Australia.  Meet our space ambitions. None of this can be achieved without increasing Australian nuclear science capabilities.

That is the conclusion reached by experts at a national nuclear science roundtable hosted recently by the Australian Academy of Science.

The roundtable determined that Australia’s nuclear science sector needs a national strategy that leads to new knowledge and infrastructure and equips Australians for jobs in this expanding sector.

The online forum brought together multidisciplinary experts from fields including nuclear physics, nuclear medicine, radiation science, space, nuclear waste management, environmental science, and nuclear regulation and diplomacy.

The roundtable was chaired by Emeritus Professor Lawrence Cram.

“Basic research is key to Australia’s ability to have a successful applied nuclear science sector and to be able to benefit from new technological developments and mitigate sovereign risk,” Emeritus Professor Cram said.

“There is also a critical need for informed debate and respectful deliberation to inform decision-making and improve public understanding of nuclear science and the benefits it can bring to Australia.”

The experts concluded that new technologies and hands-on experiences would inspire students and improve nuclear science literacy in schools. Nuclear science will provide new careers across Australia, requiring additional undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

A survey of experts conducted prior to the roundtable found 74% believed that if Australia’s core nuclear science capabilities were not strengthened, there is a high risk of increased misinformation about nuclear science.

The participants of the national roundtable called for:

• an independent knowledge broker between academia, industry and government to advise on national needs and opportunities that require nuclear science in all its dimensions
• a national strategy that: 
  • identifies opportunities to grow education pathways in nuclear science, including the potential to expand existing programs
  • details the infrastructure required to train nuclear scientists, conduct novel foundational and applied research, and promote multisector collaborations
  • outlines a communications plan to help the Australian public to engage with nuclear science.

The Academy’s President, Professor Chennupati Jagadish said the AUKUS agreement has increased awareness of critical gaps in Australia’s fundamental and applied nuclear science capabilities. 

“A scaling up of nuclear science capabilities is needed to transform our ageing nuclear science infrastructure and to plug the current deficits in our knowledge and skills so that we can meet our national ambitions,” Professor Jagadish said.

The Academy will publish a summary of the roundtable in 2024.

Roundtable participants

Roundtable Chair: Emeritus Professor Lawrence Cram, Visiting Fellow, Research School of Physics, Australian National University

Dr Miles Apperley, Group Executive Nuclear Safety, Security, and Stewardship, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation

Dr Stephen Bayer, Director Safeguards Policy Section, Australian Safeguards and Non-Proliferation Office

Dr Paul Bertsch, Science Leader Environment BU, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation

Professor Eva Bezak, Centre Director, Centre for Translational Cancer Research, University of South Australia Cancer Research Institute

Dr Greg Clark AC FAA FTSE, The Australian National University

Ms Michelle Durant, Managing Director, Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering – AINSE Ltd.

Dr Jacinda Ginges, Senior Lecturer, School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Queensland

Associate Professor Susanna Guatelli, School of Physics, University of Wollongong Centre for Medical Radiation Physics

Dr Mohammad Haskali, Chief Radiopharmaceutical Scientist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Associate Professor Anthony Hooker FARPS, Director, Centre for Radiation Research, Education and Innovation, University of Adelaide

Professor Mihail Ionescu, Leader, Nuclear Fuel Cycle Research, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation

Professor Matther Kearnes, Deputy Head of School, School of Humanities and Languages, University of New South Wales

Professor Tomas Kron, Director of Physical Science, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Professor Greg Lane, Department of Nuclear Physics and Accelerator Applications, Australian National University

Dr Russell Leslie, Visiting Fellow, Australian National University

Professor Anna Moore, Director, ANU Institute for Space (InSpace)

Dr Thomas Payten, Managing Director, NovaTerra

Distinguished Professor Anatoly Rozenfeld, Director, Centre for Medical Radiation Physics, University of Wollongong

Professor Tim Senden, Director, Research School of Physics, Australian National University

Dr Ed Simpson, Fellow, Department of Nuclear Physics and Accelerator Applications, Australian National University

Professor Nigel Spooner, Prescott Environmental Luminescence Laboratory, University of Adelaide

Dr Kath Smith, Chief Nuclear Officer, Australian Submarine Agency

Dr Ivan Williams, Chief Medical Radiation Scientist & Branch Head, Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency