Women have made substantial contributions to chemistry, physics and nuclear science from the earliest days of exploration of radiation through to the development of nuclear power. These contributions continue today, despite most women experiencing severe obstacles and handicaps in access to education, research and employment opportunities and funding. Many succeeded anyway, sometimes at great personal cost. In honor of Women’s History Month, we are pleased to introduce a few of these amazing scientists, researchers, innovators, regulators and leaders to you. Names in white (with corresponding black and white images) are historical contributors. Names in gold (and color images) are contemporary women working today. (Some contemporary women in the below list link directly to their LinkedIn profiles and you’ll find their image there.)
Tikvah Alper
Meredith Angwin
Rita Baranwal
Sama Bilbao y Leon
Giulia Bisconti
Isabelle Boemeke
Shannon Bragg-Sitton
Harriet Brooks
Diane Cameron
Marie Curie
Irene Joliot-Curie
Aline Des Cloizeaux
Bertha Dlamini
Mary Lou Dunzik-Gougar
Eunice Newton Foote
Rosalind Franklin
Kirsty Gogan
Katy Huff
Tatjana Jevremovic
Adriènne Kelbie
Christine King
Maria Korsnick
Leona W. Marshall Libby
Jessica Lovering
Lise Meitner
Princess Mthombeni
Ida Noddack
Clarice Phelps
Rachel Pritzker
Edith Quimby
Fiona Rayment OBE
Amy Roma
Lou Martinez Sancho
Grace Stanke
Kristine Svinicki
Elina Teplinsky
Tea Törmänen
Myrto Tripathi
Rumina Velshi
Katharine Way
Chien-Shiung Wu
Rosalyn Yalow

Rosalind Franklin

Rita Baranwal

Katharine Way

Rumina Velshi

Clarice Phelps

Lise Meitner

Manhattan Project Women

Rosalyn Yalow

Katy Huff

Kristine Svinicki

Eunice Newton Foote

Harriet Brooks

Mary Lou Dunzik-Gougar

Irene Joliot-Curie

Isabelle Boemeke

Tatjana Jevremovic

Kirsty Gogan

Chien-Shiung Wu

Ida Noddack

Tikvah Alper

Grace Stanke

(More Soon!)

Edith Quimby

Marie Curie
Organizations Supporting Women in Nuclear
WiN Global (Women in Nuclear Global) — an organization of women working professionally in various fields of nuclear energy and radiation applications, with 35,000 members working in 129 countries.
Women in Nuclear IAEA — WiN IAEA is an organization based in Vienna committed to the advancement of qualified women in the nuclear and radiation professions.
Nucleation Capital — the first venture fund devoted to investing in advanced nuclear innovation and other deep decarbonization technologies and a firm founded by a woman, is pleased to have provided grant funding to the University of California at Berkeley to provide stipends to female nuclear engineering students seeking summer internships.
(Note: images display in random order. Please submit suggestions for noteworthy women in nuclear, both historical and contemporary, using the comment box below.)
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