Congratulations to NC State Nuclear Engineering graduate students Priyanka Pandit and Maria Herrera Quesada. They are the recipients of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inaugural Marie Sklodowska‑Curie Fellowship Programme (MSCFP). Over 550 candidates from more than 90 countries submitted applications for this fellowship that aims to increase the participation of women in nuclear science by providing scholarships in nuclear-related subjects to 100 graduate students per year.
Priyanka Pandit joined NC State from the University of Mumbai where she received her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. She is currently working on probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) under the direction of Dr. Mihai Diaconeasa. Priyanka will continue onto her doctoral degree then wishes to work in the field of PRA for the next generation of reactor designs as well as in nuclear non-proliferation.
“This scholarship has given me the opportunity to further the research that I like without significant financial constraints. More important to me, however, is the happiness it gives me to know that my work is recognized by the IAEA.”
Maria Herrera Quesada joined NC State from Washington and Lee University where she received her Bachelor of Science (Magna Cum Laude) in Physics with a double minor in Applied Mathematics & Computer Science. She is currently working on medical applications of non-thermal plasmas under the direction of Dr. Katharina Stapelmann. Maria will continue onto her doctoral degree then hold a postdoctoral position and work in radiopharmaceutical research. Ultimately, she dreams of going back to her home country of Costa Rica to become a researcher and professor at Universidad de Costa Rica, where she will work on advancing the accessibility of nuclear engineering applications for medicine, while also serving as a mentor to aspiring scientists from modest beginnings.
“Aside from being an immense honor to be part of a fellowship inspired by one of the greatest female scientists of all time, receiving the IAEA MSCFP Fellowship provides the necessary funds to complete my graduate studies without a financial barrier. Moreover, this fellowship presents the opportunity of pursuing an internship at the IAEA, Austria, for up to 12 months.”
“We are extremely pleased to see great interest in the program,” said Mikhail Chudakov, Deputy Director General and Head of the IAEA Department of Nuclear Energy, which runs the fellowship program. “Enabling more women today to study and excel in nuclear engineering and operations, nuclear medicine, radiation protection and other nuclear related fields will lead to more women in leadership positions in the field tomorrow. This is the first step towards that goal.”