“There are so many opportunities in the nuclear industry, and you’ll find that everyone’s career path is unique.”

Kim Brown, a McMaster grad who is now the president and CEO of Sunlit Strategic, followed her passion for nuclear energy to a career in clean energy consulting.

Brown is one of six McMaster alumni who shared their experiences in the nuclear industry as part of Nuclear Now, a networking event that gave students a chance to connect with leading companies and professionals in nuclear and discover exciting opportunities in the field.

Careers in the nuclear industry span a wide range of sectors, including clean energy and environmental science, health and radiopharmaceuticals, radiation safety, engineering and advanced manufacturing.

With the nuclear industry evolving rapidly, the need for talented young leaders is greater than ever before, says Dave Tucker, McMaster’s chief nuclear officer and associate vice-president, Nuclear.

“There is a huge demand for talent across the board in the nuclear industry, especially as Canada and the world look to nuclear energy to help us achieve net zero,” Tucker says.

“Students at McMaster have a unique opportunity to gain experience and build connections in nuclear to become tomorrow’s leaders in the field.”

Here’s what students had to say 

“It was interesting to hear from the panelists about how their lab and course work — and the leadership roles they took on in these experiences — helped them stand out when applying to jobs in the field,” said Dina Elhanan, a fourth-year engineering physics student, who learned about the kinds of jobs available in the industry.

Second-year engineering physics student, Edwin Liu, says he was interested to learn more about Net Zero.

“Nuclear was a new topic to me before this event, but I know that lots of students in my program specialize in it,” Liu said. “It was cool to hear how the industry is growing alongside new advancements in clean nuclear energy systems.”

Third-year biomedical engineering student Shamera Chatheechan, shared her experience with Canadian Nuclear Laboratories’ (CNL) Nuclear Undergraduate Research Experience program.

“The program really opened my eyes to the broad range of disciplines in the nuclear field,” she said.

“I got to meet experts who work at CNL and network with other students.”

“Even though we’re in different programs, we all share a similar passion for nuclear research, learning and applying what we study in the classroom to real-world problems.”