Dr Richard Piggin, Nuclear Security Inspector at the Office for Nuclear Regulation, has been awarded the prestigious Pinkerton Prize for the best technical paper in the Nuclear Future journal.
Published in Nuclear Future volume 20.1, the paper is entitled Enhancing Civil Nuclear Cyber Security. The paper examines board-level cyber security briefings given by ONR and Accenture as a key action to secure safe nuclear operations; a vital part of ONR's mission to protect society.
The Pinkerton Prize, awarded in memory of JB Pinkerton, recognises authors and co-authors of articles of significant technical or scientific merit published in Nuclear Future. JB (John Brownlie) Pinkerton was the founder of the Institution of Nuclear Engineers (INucE). The INucE was one of the predecessor organisations that eventually formed the Nuclear Institute.
Speaking about the award, Richard commented:
"I’m delighted to receive the Pinkerton Prize for my work focusing on the importance of effective strategy, strong leadership, governance and risk management for cyber security in the civil nuclear sector.
"ONR is working closely with industry to drive continuous improvement in cyber security. If operational technology isn’t secure, there is no confidence that it is safe.
"The assurance of safety-related computer-based systems therefore relies on effective cyber security to reduce the risk of harm to an acceptable level.
"Cyber security in the nuclear sector is evolving - but strong leadership and governance are essential to fully embed risk-based approaches and keep pace with the threat landscape."
Notes
Richard wrote the paper while at Accenture, having delivered coaching sessions across the UK nuclear sector with ONR after which he joined ONR and has recently completed his regulatory training as a nuclear security inspector.
For more information on the Nuclear Future journal and the Pinkerton Prize, visit Nuclear Future and explore the list of Pinkerton Prize Winners.