Interested professionals in nuclear-related fields have until 25 July to apply for the joint USA-IAEA Nuclear Leadership Programme to be held in Washington, DC from 27-31 October 2025. The programme is intended for early- to mid-career professionals and is designed to build the leadership skills needed to thrive in dynamic work environments.
"In today's rapidly evolving nuclear landscape, professional success requires leveraging a range of skills - personal, interpersonal and organizational - to lead teams and drive innovation," said Lisa Lande, the IAEA's Technical Lead for Knowledge and Human Capacity Building. "Leadership can be and often is, exhibited by professionals at all levels; it is not a formal position, but a way of being. Fostering the development of leadership skills is critical to ensuring nuclear sector sustainability and can only be realized by helping our next generation of nuclear leaders make the most of their purpose and potential."
Proactive talent development was identified at last year's International Conference on Nuclear Knowledge Management and Human Resources Development as a priority for a nuclear industry looking to build on its successes and expand its global role. The IAEA supports education and training initiatives, including the Lise Meitner Programme, and regularly conducts Nuclear Energy Management schools among other training courses and workshops. In November 2024 in Trieste, Italy, the IAEA jointly hosted the first ever Nuclear Stakeholder Engagement School together with the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics.
In April, the IAEA held its first training course on embedding leadership for resilient nuclear performance at its Vienna headquarters, an event that gathered 25 participants from 18 countries. The event featured hands-on learning activities tailored to develop essential leadership and management skills for the nuclear sector, with group work that focused on three core capabilities: awareness, adaptability and action.
The programme in October, hosted by the Government of the United States of America through its Department of Energy, aims to leverage an immersive approach designed to bolster skills in these and other areas, including relationship building, emotional intelligence and systemic thinking. Participants will take part in practical exercises, learning how to navigate real-world situations using tools to complement their expertise for positive outcomes. The five-day event will emphasize a holistic approach to increasing leadership effectiveness and promoting greater resilience at both the human and organizational levels, including by examining assumptions and enhancing self-awareness.
How to Apply
Participation is limited to 25 individuals, each of whom must be designated by an IAEA Member State or invited organization. Interested participants are requested to submit their applications through the InTouch+ platform to the relevant national authority or organization by 25 July.
