Son Nguyen

Geoscience – Environmental Risk Assessment Division

Son has worked for the CNSC since 1982. As a Geoscience Technical Specialist, he uses geoscientific and engineering principles to assess the safety of nuclear installations.

Son also conducts research in collaboration with Canadian and international partners to keep up to date with scientific and engineering developments and to ensure that licensing decisions are based on science.

Expertise and education

Son holds a bachelor of engineering and master of engineering in civil engineering from Université de Sherbrooke, and a PhD in civil engineering and applied mechanics from McGill University. He holds his professional engineering designation (P.Eng.) affiliated with the Ordre des Ingénieurs du Québec. Son is also a 2-time recipient of the CNSC President’s Merit Award and is chair of an International Atomic Energy Agency project related to demonstrating the safety of geological disposal of radioactive waste. He’s also an adjunct professor at the University of Ottawa, and is the author of more than 50 papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals and many more in conference proceedings.

Current research and projects

Nuclear Waste Management Organization’s (NWMO’s) Adaptive Phased Management (APM) for Canada’s used nuclear fuel. In preparation for an anticipated licence application from the NWMO for the APM project, Son is leading and contributing to regulatory research, the development of regulatory guidance documents, and collaboration with international and national counterparts. These activities build independent scientific knowledge and help harmonize the CNSC’s regulatory approach with international best practice, allowing CNSC staff to provide a well-informed and science-based review of the anticipated licence application.

In-situ decommissioning of Whiteshell Reactor 1 (WR-1) and the Nuclear Power Demonstration (NPD). Son is reviewing the safety cases provided by Canadian Nuclear Laboratories in support of the in-situ decommissioning of the WR-1 and NPD.