Internship - NEFW-WTS-Radioactive Waste Information

Internships

The IAEA accepts a limited number of interns each year. The internships are awarded to persons studying towards a university degree or who have recently received a degree (see Internship web pages for further details).

The purpose of the programme is\:

To provide interns with the opportunity to gain practical work experience in line with their studies or interests, and expose them to the work of the IAEA and the United Nations as a whole.

To benefit the IAEA's programmes through the assistance of qualified students specialized in various professional fields.

The duration of an internship is normally not less than three months and not more than one year.

Organizational Setting

The Division of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology (NEFW) comprises the Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Materials Section, the Waste Technology Section, the Decommissioning & Environmental Remediation Section and the Research Reactor Section. The Division seeks to support Member States in building their capacity to access technologies, to share good practices and to develop safe and effective approaches across all aspects of research reactors, nuclear fuel cycle, decommissioning, radioactive waste management and environmental remediation.


The Waste Technology Section (WTS) assists Member States with radioactive waste management. It covers a broad spectrum of activities and is organized into teams responsible for radioactive waste management (pre-disposal and disposal), and the management of disused sealed radioactive sources (DSRS). Efforts are focused mainly on the elaboration and implementation of comprehensive and integrated radioactive waste management (RWM) policies and strategies, the development of RWM infrastructure, the promotion of good practices for sustainable, safe and cost-effective RWM, enabling access to current scientific and technological developments. Given the widespread nature of RWM challenges, the Section cooperates with a wide range of units in the IAEA and international organizations.

Main Purpose

The main purpose of the internship is to support the Waste Technology Section of the IAEA by compiling and analysing information on the status of radioactive waste management in IAEA Member States. The intern will develop structured country profiles by compiling, assessing, and interpreting data to provide insights into national policies, strategies, waste inventory, key organizations, waste generators, management practices, and infrastructure related to radioactive waste. The compiled information will contribute to IAEA knowledge-sharing platforms and databases.

Functions / Key Results Expected

• Conduct independent desk-based literature surveys using IAEA resources, including presentations, reports, and publicly available sources such as Joint Convention reports.
• Develop structured country profiles summarizing key aspects of radioactive waste management in each Member State, including but not limited to\:
  • National policy and strategy for spent fuel and radioactive waste management.
  • Status and details of radioactive waste inventory.
  • Principal waste generators and their roles.
  • Status of related regulatory framework.
  • National organizations and institutions responsible for radioactive waste management.
  • Waste processing, storage, and disposal capabilities.
  • Presence of legacy waste and associated management efforts.
  • Plans for introducing nuclear power.
• Assist in presenting the compiled information in a structured format suitable for export to collaborative knowledge-sharing platforms and other agency database systems.
  
• Engage with relevant IAEA experts and stakeholders to verify and refine collected data where necessary.
• Support the development of summary reports or presentations based on findings.
• Other tasks to support the Predisposal team projects. 

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's Degree - University degree in Science (Chemistry, Physics), Engineering or a related field
• Experience in seeking information, analysis and compilation and reporting of information and data
• Experience in writing technical reports and documents is an asset
• Excellent written and spoken English essential; fluency in any other IAEA official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish) an asset.

Applicant Eligibility

• Candidates must be a minimum of 20 years of age and have completed at least three years of full-time studies at a university or equivalent institution towards the completion of a first degree.
• Candidates may apply up to one year after the completion of a bachelor's, master's or doctorate degree.
• Candidates must not have previously participated in the IAEA's internship programme.
• Good written and spoken English essential; fluency in any other IAEA official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Spanish or Russian) an asset.
• Candidates must attach two signed letters of recommendation to their application.