Atoms for Water
16–17 September 2025
IAEA Headquarters, Vienna, Austria
TENTATIVE PROGRAMME
TUESDAY, 16 SEPTEMBER 2025
9:30-11:00 Opening Session
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi will open the Scientific Forum 2025 with high-level speakers. They will explore how nuclear science and technology innovations can support effective and sustainable management of the world’s water systems.
H.E. Mr Maizama Abdoulaye, Minister of Environment, Hydraulics and Sanitation, Niger
H.E. Mr ángel Manuel Manero Campos, Minister of Agrarian Development and Irrigation, Peru
Mr Shan Zhongde, Chairman, China Atomic Energy Authority
Ms Anne-Isabelle étienvre, Chairman, French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission
Ms Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General, World Meteorological Organization
Mr Gonzalo Alfonso Gutiérrez Reinel, Secretary General, Andean Community
11:00-11:15 Break
11:15-12:30 Session 1: Strengthening Water Resilience and Global Sustainability
This session will explore five key accelerators — data and information, capacity development, governance, financing, and innovation — for advancing global water sustainability, while highlighting the role of nuclear sciences and technologies.
Ms Karina Meredith, Director, Environmental Research and Technology, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO)
Mr Ricardo Sanchez-Murillo, Former Coordinator of the Stable Isotopes Research Group, National University of Costa Rica
Mr Khalid Khasawneh, Commissioner for Nuclear Power Reactors, Jordan Atomic Energy Commission
Mr Eddy Moors, Rector, IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, Kingdom of the Netherlands
Mr Jay Famiglietti, Global Futures Professor, Arizona State University, United States of America
12:30-13:30 Lunch break
13:30-15:00 Session 2: Quality Unknown — the Invisible Water Crisis
This session will address the accelerating global decline of water quality and will explore how nuclear and radiation based technologies can help track, reduce and treat pollutants such as microplastics and pathogens.
Ms Asunción Romanelli, Professor, Institute for Marine and Coastal Research, Argentina
Ms Sueli Borrely, Radiation Applications, Nuclear and Energy Research Institute, Brazil
Mr Gilbert Nijimbere, Lecturer, University of Burundi
Mr Martin Elsner, Full Professor of Analytical Chemistry and Water Chemistry, Technical University of Munich, Germany
Ms Viviana Re, Associate Professor, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Pisa, Italy
Ms Yurina Sekine, Principal Researcher, Japan Atomic Energy Agency
Mr Bum Soo Han, Chief Consultant, Bright Future Technologies Inc., Republic of Korea
Mr Christian Stamm, Deputy Director, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology
15:00-15:30 Break
15:30-17:00 Session 3: Climate and Hydrological Variability
This session will examine how climate variability exerts significant pressure on global water systems, increasing the frequency of extreme weather events, and will highlight the role of the IAEA’s data networks in assessing these changes and guiding actions to sustain and optimize water resources.
H.E. Mr Mohamed Nasr, Permanent Representative of Egypt to the International Organizations in Vienna
Mr David Farrell, Principal, The Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology, Barbados
Ms Tricia Stadnyk, Professor and Canada Research Chair, University of Calgary, Canada
Ms Jana ólavsdóttir, Geologist, Faroese Geological Survey, Denmark
Mr Robert Vautard, Senior Scientist, French National Centre for Scientific Research
Mr Kiattipong Kamdee, Nuclear Scientist, Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology
Mr Chris Soulsby, Professor of Hydrology, University of Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom
Ms Birgit Vogel, Executive Secretary, International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River
WEDNESDAY, 17 SEPTEMBER 2025
09:30-11:00 Session 4: The Role of the IAEA
By building capacity, facilitating international cooperation and delivering technical expertise, the IAEA helps Member States address growing water challenges. This session will reflect on how the IAEA helps Member States manage and protect water resources through initiatives such as Nuclear Technology for Controlling Plastic Pollution (NUTEC Plastics) and the Global Water Analysis Laboratory (GlowAL) Network, as well as coordinated research projects and technical cooperation.
Mr Moncef Benmansour, Director of Studies and Scientific Research, National Centre for Energy, Sciences and Nuclear Techniques, Morocco
Ms Saira Butt, Deputy Chief Scientist, Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology
Mr Charles Darwin Racadio, Senior Science Research Specialist, Philippine Nuclear Research Institute
Ms Najiba Chkir, Dean Faculty of Sciences, University of Sfax, Tunisia
Ms Christine Mukwaya, Head of the Groundwater Monitoring and Assessment Section, Ministry of Water and Environment, Uganda
Ms Celina Horak, Section Head, Radiochemistry and Radiation Technology (RCRT) Section, IAEA
Ms Jodie Miller, Section Head, Isotope Hydrology Section, IAEA
11:00-11:30 Break
11:30-13:00 Closing Session: Partnerships and Resource Mobilization
The closing session will feature a high-level panel summarizing findings and discussing steps to maximize nuclear and radiological techniques in water management, including strategies for partnerships and resource mobilization. It will address global water crises, their impact and the IAEA’s role in tackling these issues, emphasizing the importance of nuclear innovation and sustainable financing to support these interventions.
Ms Najat Mokhtar, Deputy Director General, Department of Nuclear Sciences and Application
Mr Mohamed CBC Diatta, Senegal's Sherpa for 2026 UN Water Conference, Ministry of Water and Sanitation Senegal
Ms Tatiana Molcean, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary, UN Economic Commission for Europe
Mr Winston Yu, Water Practice Manager, World Bank
Ms María Jimena Durán, Senior Executive for Global Partnerships, Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF)
Ms Lina Escobar-Rangel, Senior Energy Specialist, Interamerican Development Bank