The YGN are pleased to welcome a number of new members to the 2020 strategic committee. If you’d like to find out more about our activities for 2020, please contact chair.ygn@nuclearinst.com. Check out the new 2020 committee below.
Chair - Rob Ward, YGN Chair, Nuclear Sector Development Manager, Copeland Borough Council 
Rob is a Chartered Nuclear Engineer and Member of the Nuclear Institute. As Nuclear Sector Development Manager for the local authority which hosts the Sellafield, LLWR and Moorside sites, Rob leads engagement with local and national nuclear stakeholders (including Governmental Departments and their agencies and Nuclear Site Licence Companies) on decommissioning issues, radioactive waste and nuclear materials management, infrastructure and planning issues and future nuclear sector opportunities. He is a former strategic advisor for Sellafield Ltd, and qualified project manager with experience in design, engineering and management consulting in the supply chain since 2009.
Rob has a Masters in Engineering from Edinburgh University and a Postgraduate Certificate in Nuclear Technology from the University of Manchester. He is an alumnus of the nucleargraduates programme and has been involved in the YGN since 2015.
Vice Chairs
Georgia Pawson, YGN Vice Chair, Consultant, CRA Risk 
Georgia is a consultant for Corporate Risk Associates with over four years’ experience in the nuclear industry predominately working in Safety Case. Her focus is currently in operating stations and she has a background in decommissioning as well. Georgia is also doing an Executive MBA part-time.
Georgia is one of the Vice-chairs for 2020. She has been volunteering with the YGN since 2016 working as the Exhibition Lead for ENYGF 2017, the YGN Annual Dinner and Seminar 2017 and held the position of Membership Retention and Development from 2017-2019.
Hannah Paterson, YGN Vice Chair and International Liaison, Strategy and Technical Lead, Sellafield Ltd 
Hannah is a chartered chemist currently working at Sellafield Ltd as a Strategy and Technical lead in the field of spent nuclear fuel. Hannah's background is in nuclear waste management and she has spent over 5 years working in a variety of leadership roles including National Waste Inventory Manager at the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, and technical specialist in high level waste at Sellafield Ltd.
Hannah previously held the role of YGN intro to lead in 2018 and 2019 as well as supporting her local NI Cumbria branch since she joined the industry. Hannah is YGN Vice-Chair for 2020 and leads the UK YGN's international engagement including correspondence with the European Nuclear Society YGN and International Nuclear Youth Congress.
Secretary
Matthew Williams, YGN Secretary, Environmental Safety Engineer, EDF Energy 
Matthew graduated in 2017 with a Masters Degree in Natural Sciences (Physics with Chemistry) from the University of Bath. During his degree, he completed a placement year with EDF Energy at Dungeness B Nuclear Power Station. After graduating, Matthew joined the EDF Energy Graduate scheme before becoming an Environmental Safety Engineer at Hinkley Point B. He is currently training as an Accredited Health Physicist, which involves ensuring the station complies with the Ionising Radiation Regulations and the Environmental Permitting Regulations.
Matthew has been involved in the YGN for over 2 years. In 2018, he helped organise the Intro to Power Generation event, before becoming lead organiser for the 2019 Intro to Nuclear New Build and Power Generation event. He has also been a STEM ambassador since 2015 and is the Young Professionals Network Lead at Hinkley Point B.
Sponsorship
Mike Taylor, YGN Sponsorship Lead, Commercial Officer, Cavendish Nuclear 
Mike is a Commercial Officer at Cavendish Nuclear working in the specialist services business. Mike is an ex Commercial Graduate at Cavendish and this is his third year in the nuclear industry. In this time Mike has worked on numerous bids as well as working on a Hinkley Point C project. Previously Mike studied Law at Lancaster University, graduating in 2016.
Mike has been involved with the Nuclear Institute since 2018 and has more recently organised the YGN Intro to Commercial event in 2019. Mike is now the Sales and Sponsorship Lead for the YGN in 2020 with the main focus on organising sponsorship packages for the YGN calendar of events.
Marketing & Communications
Saralyn Thomas, YGN Marketing & Communications Lead, Senior Consultant, Abbott Risk Consulting 
Saralyn is a Senior Consultant working in nuclear safety case development at Abbott Risk Consulting. Prior to this, she worked as a Safety Consultant at Orano Projects Ltd. Saralyn has 4.5 years’ experience in the nuclear industry and has worked for a variety of clients on safety cases, as well as radioactive waste management delicensing projects.
Saralyn has been an active volunteer of the Nuclear Institute and YGN since 2016. In this time, Saralyn has been the YGN Representative for the Central England Branch (CEB) of the Nuclear Institute, she was a member of the organising committee for the 2017 European Nuclear Young Generation Forum (ENYGF) and she was on the organising committees for the YGN’s Annual Day Seminar and Dinner 2018 and 2019. Saralyn is now the YGN’s Marketing and Communications Lead. Saralyn’s team includes Ayomide Ukpong, Henry Preston, Stacy Snook and Yasmin Yu as Website Lead, Nuclear Future Lead, Social Media Lead and Video Lead, respectively.
Finance
Hareth Al-Maskari, YGN Finance Lead, Strategic Advisor, Nuclear Innovation and Research Office 
Hareth is a graduate with a year’s experience in the nuclear industry working with the National Nuclear Laboratory in their Central Laboratory at Sellafield site. He has an integrated Master’s in physics and mathematics from the University of Manchester and is an active member of the Nuclear Institute and an Associate Candidate Member of the Operational Research Society. His area of speciality is Operational Research and he is on secondment with NIRO as a technical advisor on UK national nuclear policy. Hareth has participated in international conferences and is actively involved in nuclear energy policy and communication of innovation opportunities within the sector.
2020 is Hareth's third year as a member of the YGN and his first as an active committee member. With a keen commitment to project delivery in his current role, Hareth brings project management and financial analysis insights into the financial role he will be taking on in the YGN. He has previously been involved in the events in speaking, outreach, and introductory sessions that YGN have done on the industry and aims to build on these previous successes as finance lead.
Robert Alford, YGN Education, Attraction & Outreach Lead, Executive Assistant on Secondment, NNL .
Robert graduated from Loughborough University with a Chemistry and Analytical Chemistry degree before joining the National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) in 2012 as a graduate scientist. Robert is currently on secondment from NNL to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority as the Executive Assistant to the Group Strategy and Technology Director. He has been involved in a range of projects including with Radioactive Waste Management (RWM), the University of Manchester and Sellafield Ltd regarding safety margins in geological disposal. Robert was awarded Chartered Chemist and Chartered Scientist status in 2018.
Robert’s involvement with the NI and YGN specifically has increased since winning the YGN Young Excellence Prize in 2014. As well as his YGN role, he is also the lead company rep for NI at NNL and its on the Cumbria branch committee. Robert leads out Education, Attraction and Outreach team and is extremely passionate about inspiring the next generation about the amazing careers the nuclear industry has to offer.
Membership Retention & Development
Carwyn Chamberlain, YGN Membership Retention & Development Lead, Modelling Engineer, DBD Ltd 
Carwyn is a Modelling Engineer at DBD Ltd. In this role, Carwyn has developed operational research models for numerous programme and waste management/throughput projects across the NDA estate in the UK, with clients operating in DoE estates in USA and for a large power generation company in Canada. Carwyn has also been responsible for the delivery of a number of strategic studies both in the UK and overseas.
He graduated from Cardiff University in 2017 with a first class integrated Masters in Mathematics. Since joining the industry, Carwyn has been an active volunteer for several STEM programmes including supporting the NI in the initial stages of the education affiliates scheme, sitting on the YGN Education, Attraction and Outreach subcommittee for 2018 and 2019 and supporting the organisation of the YGN’s Annual Seminar & Dinner 2019.
Intro to Series
James O’Keeffe, Intro to Series Lead, Project Manager, Ansaldo Nuclear 
James is a Project Manager for Ansaldo Nuclear. Based in Wolverhampton, James oversees multiple complex projects within nuclear defence and has worked in the industry for 5 years. His role involves managing the full lifecycle of each project; from Concept Design through the full Manufacture, Commissioning and Installation.
2020 will be James’ third year volunteering with the YGN. As Committee Lead for the Intro to Series, James will deliver a series of one and two day “Intro to…” seminars, focussed on key subjects within the industry such as Nuclear Waste Management and Project Management. Mitchell McCombe of Copeland Borough Council sits on James’ sub-committee as Delivery Manager for 2020.
Industry Liaison
Ian Hill, YGN Industry Liaison, Nuclear Emergency Response Engineer, Ministry of Defence 
On graduating from the University of Liverpool with a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering, Ian joined the MOD engineering graduate scheme where he rooted in Nuclear and undertook an MSc in Nuclear Technology and Safety Management, winning two awards for his thesis in radioactive decay modelling. With nearly 10 years in the Defence Nuclear Sector, he’s previously worked on Decommissioning, Pressurised Water Reactor Systems and Future Submarine manufacture, and is currently working in Nuclear Emergency Response and Transport assisting various defence sites around the country in demonstrating their emergency response arrangements to the regulators.
Having previously lived and worked in the USA, Ian joined the 2020 committee as the Industrial Liaison Lead and hopes to continue strengthening the extant industry relations as well as building more relationships and opportunities for the YGN. Hoping to gain his chartership in 2020, Ian is also engaged with the MOD’s engineering graduate scheme as a mentor and line manager, as well as working with the NI Western Branch.
Ex-Chair
Mike Roberts, Ex-YGN Chair, Principal Nuclear Safety Assessor, Atkins / SNC-Lavalin 
Mike is a Chartered Physicist and a Principal Nuclear Safety Assessor at Atkins / SNC-Lavalin. He has worked across the industry on projects related to nuclear new build, enrichment, generation, decommissioning and defence undertaking safety assessments and delivering nuclear safety cases. Mike has a postgraduate Masters in the “Physics and Technology of Nuclear Reactors (PTNR)” from the University of Birmingham.
Mike was YGN Chair in 2019, having held previous roles on the YGN committee since 2016. In 2017 Mike was part of the organising committee that delivered the European Nuclear Young Generation Forum (ENYGF) in the UK. As the ENYGF2017 Conference Manager, Mike was responsible for the programme of speakers, panel sessions, workshops and presentation and poster sessions. Mike has been involved with the Nuclear Institute and the YGN since joining the industry in 2007, and is enthusiastic about the Institute’s work to support the development of professionals within the industry.