Virginie Solans awarded the Nuclear Innovation Prize
Virgine Solans. Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt.
Virginie Solans, a former PhD student at the division of Applied Nuclear Physics at the Department of Physics and Astronomy has been awarded the Nuclear Innovation Prize from the European Commission.
“It is a very big honour. It is one of the biggest prizes in our field,” says Virginie Solans.
The prize was announced 16 May 2025 and the ceremony was held the same day during the FISA–EURADWASTE 2025 held in Warsaw under the auspices of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
The criteria for the prize is innovation, but it must have a direct societal impact, i.e., it needs to be directly applicable or already in application. Virginie Solans was awarded the 1st Prize in the category Radioactive Waste Management for her PhD project MODENA – Model for decay heat prediction using non-destructive assay.
“MODENA is a method to predict decay heat from experimental measurements of spent nuclear fuel assemblies, based on my PhD work,” says Virginie Solans.
Virginie Solans graduated from Uppsala University in September 2024 and is currently working at Nagra in Switzerland as a Specialist Radioactive Materials and is in charge of many topics related to spent nuclear fuel characterisation and canister optimisation.
Camilla Thulin
Nuclear Innovation Prize
The Nuclear Innovation Prize supports the European Union’s efforts to foster a culture of innovation in nuclear research, in line with the goals of the current Euratom Research and Training Programme. The prize promotes the translation of advanced research into practical solutions contributing to nuclear safety, sustainability and competitiveness.