Pedro Vaz, a professor at Instituto Superior Técnico and researcher at Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares (C2TN), has been awarded the title of Fellow of the American Nuclear Society (ANS) — one of the highest distinctions of the American scientific society, reserved for a very select number of professionals who stand out for the “excellence of their contributions” to the advancement of nuclear science and technology. The award will be formally presented during the opening session of the 2025 ANS Winter Conference and Expo, which will take place on 10th November 2025, in the United States of America.
“It is a great honour and privilege for me to be recognised by ANS, an association with over 11,000 members from universities, laboratories, research centres, companies, and governmental and international institutions. I also owe this recognition to the mentors and colleagues with whom I have learned from and collaborated throughout my career”, emphasises Pedro Vaz.
The researcher, who has been working for several decades in the fields of Radiation Protection and Safety, Dosimetry, Shielding and Nuclear Technologies, receives this distinction in recognition of a career marked by international cooperation and the promotion of the peaceful use of ionising radiation. His work related to the use of advanced Monte Carlo simulation programmes worldwide for cutting-edge particle accelerator and nuclear facility concepts and projects is cited as one of his main scientific contributions.
For the researcher, the distinction “also reflects the work carried out at Técnico’s Campus Tecnológico e Nuclear over the last few decades, which has projected Portugal’s name in international consortia and projects involving research, training and scientific cooperation. Pedro Vaz believes that this recognition “could contribute to strengthening the ability to attract and retain talent and to project and consolidate the image of Técnico and Portugal in international forums related to Radiological Protection and Safety and Nuclear Sciences and Technologies”.
Devoted to the theme “Building the Nuclear Century”, the 2025 edition of the ANS Winter Conference & Expo promises to be one of the highlights of the year for the nuclear sector, bringing together hundreds of experts to discuss the future of the sector. Professor Pedro Vaz believes that the event “will be particularly relevant in the current context of renewed interest in nuclear energy as a safe, sustainable and economically viable option to meet growing global energy demand”.
“This conference will be a forum for debate on Small and Modular Reactors (SMRs) in areas related to regulation, safety, and education and training of human resources”, says the researcher, who hopes that Portuguese participation in this type of event “can increase and strengthen existing partnerships and foster new synergies between Portuguese and foreign institutions, with an expected significant return for Portugal”.
“The fields of Radiation Protection and Nuclear Technologies are multidisciplinary and at the forefront of knowledge, at the intersection of Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Engineering, and make fundamental contributions to sectors with enormous societal impact, such as Energy, Medicine, Environment, Security and Space”, highlights Pedro Vaz.
Among the most significant milestones in his career, Pedro Vaz highlights his role in the international SATIF (Shielding Aspects of Accelerators, Targets and Irradiation Facilities) group, under the auspices of the Nuclear Energy Agency of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and his role as Portugal’s National Liaison Officer to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) between 2017 and 2018.
