ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
Latest Magazine Issues
Aug 2026
Jan 2026
2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2026
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
August 2026
Latest News
NRC issues draft EA/FONSI for Duane Arnold restart
Efforts by NextEra Energy to restart the Duane Arnold nuclear power plant as early as 2029 continue to move forward with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's preliminary environmental assessment and determination that the restart would have no significant environmental impacts.
On Thursday, the NRC posted a draft environmental assessment and a finding of no significant impact for the Palo, Iowa, facility; the Federal Register notice was published on Monday. The Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Dominance Financing is a cooperating agency on the draft EA, as the DOE is considering providing financial assistance to the restart project.
Nuclear Criticality Safety Division 2025 Conference
United Kingdom National Nuclear Laboratory (UKNNL)
Criticality Technical Leader
Senior Fellow in Criticality Safety
Dr. Deborah Hill completed her PhD in Physics at the University of Warwick before joining British Nuclear Fuels Limited (BNFL) in 1997 as a trainee criticality safety assessor at the Springfields site in Preston. Over the past 25+ years, she has established herself as a leading expert in nuclear criticality safety, providing specialist support to a range of national and international clients. She now serves as the Criticality Technical Leader and as a Senior Fellow in Criticality Safety at the United Kingdom National Nuclear Laboratory (UKNNL).
Deborah has held prominent leadership roles across the criticality safety community, including Chair of both the UK Working Party on Criticality and the American Nuclear Society (ANS) Nuclear Criticality Safety Division (NCSD). She was honored with the NCSD Distinguished Service Award in 2019 and named an ANS Fellow in 2024. A key contributor to criticality safety standards, Deborah also currently chairs the working group responsible for the recent revision of the ANS-8.20 criticality training standard and serves as a member and secretary of the ANS-8 Standards Committee.
At UKNNL, Deborah also now leads the UKNNL Fellowship, a group of senior science, engineering, and technology leaders who play a key role in shaping the organization’s strategic Science & Technology (S&T) Agenda. Her broader industry leadership also includes past service as Chair of the ANS Professional Divisions Committee.
Last modified July 30, 2025, 8:26am CDT
