International universities launch nuclear law courses

These are the newcomers to the nuclear law postgraduate courses:

• Alexandria University in Egypt.
• Institute of Nuclear Engineering in Brazil.
• Khalifa University in the United Arab Emirates.
• University of Buenos Aires in Argentina.
• University of the West Indies in Jamaica.
• University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa.

The courses are taught by the universities’ faculty as part of the standard curricula.

The courses are supported by the IAEA’s University Partnership Program on Nuclear Law, which was initiated in 2022 when Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi signed partnership arrangements with the six universities at the IAEA’s First International Conference on Nuclear Law: The Global Debate.

Capacity building: The IAEA has noted that since the inception of nuclear law, a gap has emerged between its growing importance and the limited number of academic programs available at universities and higher-education institutions.

Since the launch of the program, the IAEA has supported partner universities in capacity-building and course development by training professors and teaching staff, designing syllabi, developing teaching methodology, and providing teaching materials. The goal is to ensure that universities can deliver nuclear law courses independently and to the highest academic standards within their national educational systems.

The University of Buenos Aires was the first to launch its postgraduate course in nuclear law in May 2024 and is now running its second session. The other five partner institutions launched their courses by the end of October2025.

Feedback: “The creation of the Diploma in Nuclear Law at the University of Buenos Aires embodies a forward-looking commitment to cultivating a new generation of legal experts who, in line with the IAEA’s mission, will ensure that the peaceful uses of nuclear energy advance human development, international security, and the rule of law in a responsible and sustainable manner,” said Emiliano J. Buis, professor and course coordinator at the Argentine university’s School of Law.

For Alexandria University in Egypt, the new postgraduate course in nuclear law “is critical for enhancing awareness and understanding of the legal frameworks regarding peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology and is ideal for regulatory bodies, industry professionals and legal practitioners working in this field,” said Walid El-Barky, professor and dean of the university’s Faculty of Engineering.

In Brazil, the nuclear law course at the Institute of Nuclear Engineering of the National Nuclear Energy Commission is taught by professors who are specialists in nuclear law and regulation. Many of them have been trained by the IAEA, both in law and in technical matters. “The Institute regards this initiative as a successful and pivotal starting point for consolidating legal expertise within Brazil's nuclear sector and beyond,” said Rômulo de Castro Souza Lima, professor and course coordinator at the institute.

In the UAE, Khalifa University’s nuclear law course “draws students with technical and legal backgrounds from across the region, providing a foundation in law for nuclear technology deployment,” said François Foulon, professor and course coordinator at the university’ Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering.

At the University of the West Indies, the graduate-level course in nuclear law prepares students to navigate the complex intersections of law, science, and sustainable development. “The launch of the course positions our university as a regional leader in advancing legal education in one of the most consequential fields of our times,” said Ramona Biholar, deputy dean of graduate studies and research and course coordinator in the Jamaican university’s Faculty of Law.

Natalie Zimmelman, CEO of Wits Plus, the University of the Witwatersrand’s program for continuing and professional education in South Africa, said that its nuclear law short course, launched as part of the University Partnership Program on Nuclear Law, “is critical to ensuring the safe, secure and peaceful uses of nuclear technology and aligns with the university’s strong commitment to civic action and responsibility.”