James De Freitas MNucI
WHAT DO YOU DO?
I’m a Chartered Scientist with 7 years of experience within the nuclear industry, mainly working in radioactive waste and decommissioning. Earlier in the year, I started my new role at Assystem as a Senior Waste and Characterisation Engineer, joining a rapidly growing capability in waste management and characterisation. The team supports major decommissioning, new build and asset care projects across the UK civil and defence nuclear estates.
My role is to provide Assystem and our clients with specialist advice and expertise on matters related to radioactive waste management, waste characterisation and wider technical challenges. Recently, I’ve mainly been supporting a variety of high-hazard reduction projects through Sellafield’s Design Services Alliance and Decommissioning Delivery Partnership frameworks.
WHY DID YOU BECOME A MEMBER OF THE NUCLEAR INSTITUTE?
I studied Physics at university and have worked in the nuclear industry since graduating. I had the option of pursuing a Professional Membership either through the Nuclear Institute or the Institute of Physics but decided to go via the Nuclear Institute as the only professional institute dedicated entirely to the nuclear industry.
I think that, given what I do in my day-to-day role, the Nuclear Institute offers a lot of events and content that is relevant and of interest to me. I also believe that Professional Membership and Chartered Scientist status through the Nuclear Institute is well respected across the industry, and demonstrates my commitment to nuclear professionalism and Continuous Professional Development (CPD).
WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE BENEFITS OF PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP?
The Nuclear Institute hosts a range of high-quality events such as conferences, seminars, and webinars, and being a member of the NI means I get regular updates on events that interest me. Similarly, being a member of the Nuclear Institute opens up many opportunities for networking and speaking to new people from across the industry who you might not otherwise get a chance to meet.
Another benefit is that it embeds a mindset of CPD into your day-to-day role, so instead of just focusing on what I need to do to fulfil my duties, it encourages me to consider how the work I am undertaking is developing me as a professional. I try to pass that philosophy on to junior members of staff, whether through formal mentoring or informal guidance.
HOW DID YOU FIND THE APPLICATION PROCESS? ANY TIPS FOR ASPIRING MNucI/FNucI?
I became a member of the Nuclear Institute while at my previous organisation. At the time, there weren't many people within my immediate team who had the experience of applying for membership through the Nuclear Institute, but I found it to be quite straightforward to navigate.
My tip for anybody who's applying for membership, whether as a new members or looking to rejoin, is to make sure that you keep an accurate and detailed record of everything that you do in each of your roles/projects, and to consider how the experience is relevant to the Nuclear Delta (for membership) or professional registration competences. It's quite easy to forget what you've done over the years, especially if you're trying to fit five or six years’ worth of work experience into quite a short application. I think keeping an accurate record and regularly taking the time out to do that, for example on a monthly or fortnightly basis, is particularly useful.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU?
I'm hoping to keep developing my expertise and specialism in waste management and characterisation to keep progressing through my planned career pathway, which is to become a Principal Engineer/Consultant with wide-ranging experience across all aspects of waste management.
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