Bilbao y León bio: A member of the American Nuclear Society since 1994, Bilbao y León has been a nuclear safety analysis engineer with Dominion Energy; director of the nuclear engineering program and associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University; and technical head of the Water Cooled Reactors Technology Development Unit at the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Originally from Spain, she holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s in energy technologies from the Polytechnic University of Madrid; a master’s and doctorate in nuclear engineering and engineering physics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison; and an MBA from Averett University. Her areas of expertise include nuclear thermal hydraulics for both light-water reactors and sodium-cooled reactors, nuclear reactor design, nuclear safety, and energy and environmental policy.
According to the WNA, Bilbao y León’s extensive experience working in international environments makes her particularly suited to lead the organization.
Rising
Quotes: “I am honored and delighted to have been given the opportunity to lead the World Nuclear Association,” Bilbao y León said. “Agneta leaves some very big shoes to fill, and I will do my best to do so. I look forward to working together with the association’s members, the board, and the secretariat to continue making the case for nuclear energy as a clean, reliable, cost-effective, and low-carbon energy source.”
Reflecting on her imminent departure, Rising commented, “It has been an immense privilege for me to lead the association, and I am confident that it is in a great place to continue its essential work. The association has achieved the highest recognition from other global, intergovernmental, and governmental organizations, and with the Harmony goal, we now have a joint vision for the global industry to move ahead with full speed.”
(The WNA’s Harmony goal is to build 1,000 GWe of new nuclear capacity by 2050.)