PUBLIC EVENT
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Chaired by Academy CEO Dr Hayaatun Sillem CBE, this Critical Conversation discussed the nuclear technologies that can help achieve a decarbonised energy system by 2035, and the challenges faced in delivering them.
As the UK works towards a decarbonised energy system, what will the role of nuclear power be over the next decade or so? What new technologies will help deliver energy decarbonisation? And what challenges do we face in fully realising the technology's role?
We were delighted to welcome Professor Paul Stein CBE FREng and Professor Paul Howarth FREng as panellists for this event.
Critical Conversations series
Bringing together the thoughts of leading experts from across the Academy’s networks, our Critical Conversations explore issues of relevance to global professional engineering community and wider society. Fellows, awardees, and engineering partners gather to tackle topical issues of relevance to the global professional engineering community and wider society.
Catch up on all previous Critical Conversations here.
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Dr Hayaatun Sillem CBE
Hayaatun is CEO of the Royal Academy of Engineering and Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering Foundation. She co-chairs with the Science Minister the government’s Business Innovation Forum and co-chaired with Sir Lewis Hamilton his Commission on improving Black representation in motorsport. She is a trustee of various charities, member of the government’s Levelling Up Advisory Council and Digital Skills Council and NXD at construction company Laing O’Rourke. She has been named as one of the ‘Inspiring 50’ women in tech in Europe and one of the most influential women in both UK engineering and UK tech. She has a Masters in Biochemistry (MBiochem) from Oxford and a PhD from Cancer Research UK/UCL. She is a Fellow of the IET, Honorary Professor at UCL and Honorary Fellow at The Queen’s College, Oxford. She has received honorary doctorates from UCL, Imperial College London, Newcastle, Brunel, Huddersfield and Southampton, as well as a Science Suffrage Award and the Engineering Professor’s Council President’s Medal. She was a finalist for the Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Award and was made a CBE for services to International Engineering in 2019. Prior to her current roles, she was Deputy CEO at the Academy and served as Committee Specialist and later Specialist Adviser to the House of Commons Science & Technology Committee.
Professor Paul Stein CBE FREng
Paul Stein provides independent advice to investors and companies in low carbon energy technologies, including nuclear fission and fusion. Prior to 2024, Paul was the Chairman of Rolls-Royce Small Modular Reactor consortium following his role as the Chief Technology Officer of Rolls-Royce plc. Before joining Rolls-Royce in 2010, Paul worked in the communications and electronics industries for Philips, Thorn-EMI, Thales and Siemens, then in 2006 joined the Ministry of Defence as the Director General, Science and Technology. Paul serves on several Government advisory committees including an appointment in March 2020 to the Prime Minister’s Council for Science and Technology. He lectures on aviation technology, nuclear energy and systems approaches to decarbonisation. Paul is a visiting Professor at Cranfield University, a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and holds honorary doctorates from Strathclyde, Derby and Cranfield Universities. He was awarded a CBE in the 2022 Queen’s Birthday Honours.
Professor Paul Howarth FREng
Professor Paul Howarth is Chief Executive Officer of the UK National Nuclear Laboratory. Paul has extensive experience in the nuclear industry covering operations, commercial and research portfolios in the UK and also overseas. He has worked with a broad range of stakeholders across Government, industry and academia. More recently he has also worked in the research, technology and innovation sector beyond nuclear and chaired AIRTO (Association of Innovation Research & Technology Organisations) as well held a Non-Exec Board position of the National Physical Laboratory.