Independent Advisory Group
To help CNSC staff prepare for the review of a future licence application from the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) for a deep geological repository for Canada’s used nuclear fuel, an independent advisory group (IAG) made up of Canadian geoscience experts was established in 2013.
The purpose of the IAG is to provide objective, independent advice to CNSC staff on the geoscience aspects of the Adaptive Phased Management (APM) initiative for the long-term management of Canada’s used nuclear fuel. To that end, the IAG has been reviewing the NWMO’s geoscientific research program and development activities and the CNSC’s internal research program.
In the future, the IAG may be asked to focus on particular topics in order to evaluate areas that are likely to be included in the safety case and/or supporting safety assessments.
Biographies of the IAG members
Sarah Dickson-Anderson obtained her Ph.D. from the University of Waterloo in November 2001 and began her tenure at McMaster University's Department of Civil Engineering in January 2002. Her research focuses on enhancing groundwater management and protection, particularly in fractured rock environments, through integrating laboratory and field studies with process-based and data-driven models. This work aims to both advance practical approaches to groundwater management and protection and generate evidence to inform policy. Her work has been recognized with awards such as the Philomathia Professorship in Water Policy and Research in 2017 and an Early Researcher Award in 2009. At McMaster, Ms. Dickson-Anderson has mentored 69 research students, including 15 Ph.D. students, 23 master's students, 5 post-doctoral fellows, and 24 undergraduates. In addition, she has secured over $4 million in research funding.
Peter Flavelle is a specialist in the management of radioactive waste. Prior to 2009, Mr. Flavelle spent 25 years with the CNSC and its predecessor, the Atomic Energy Control Board (AECB), critically reviewing radioactive waste management programs and practices and environmental impact assessments. During his tenure with the CNSC, Mr. Flavelle authored Regulatory Policy P-290 and was the lead author of Regulatory Guide G320. He has initiated and supervised research contracts on most aspects of radioactive waste management, authored or co-authored 24 publications and presentations, and represented the CNSC/AECB on technical sub-committees of the OECD/NEA’s Radioactive Waste Management Committee
John Percival is a retired senior research scientist who served as head of the Ore Systems Research Section at the Geological Survey of Canada, part of Natural Resources Canada, prior to his retirement in 2018. His expertise in petrology, tectonics and metallogeny has resulted in the production of more than 140 maps, reports, articles and books on the geology of Canada, with focus on Archean and Paleoproterozoic terranes of the Canadian Shield.
Stan Pietruszczak is a professor emeritus at McMaster University, and was awarded the academic title of professor by the President of Poland. His research interests are focused mainly on the formulation of constitutive relations for various engineering materials. These include geomaterials (soils and rocks) and structural materials (concrete, masonry, reinforced composites). He has written over 170 technical papers on these and related topics. He is also the author of a monograph, titled Fundamentals of Plasticity in Geomechanics, and is the co-author of the proceedings of 12 different international symposia that he organized (in collaboration with Prof. G.N. Pande, University of Swansea, UK) in Europe and North America. He was the North American editor (1989–2011) of the international journal Computers and Geotechnics, published by Elsevier Science Ltd., and is currently on the editorial board of several other international journals. He is also a member of various advisory boards (e.g., European Research Council - International Panel of Experts).
Paul Van Geel is a professor with and former Chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Carleton University. His expertise is in the area of groundwater flow and contaminant transport. He has conducted lab and field work combined with numerical modelling to evaluate the flow and transport of various chemical constituents, including petroleum hydrocarbons, solvents and landfill leachate. His expertise also includes multiphase flow and the movement of immiscible fluids like gasoline and industrial solvents in the unsaturated and saturated zones.
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