Committee - CNS Annual Conference 2024

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Student Conference
Tourism Saskatchewan

Home
About
Registration
- Registration
- Tours and Activities
Plenary Program
Technical Program
- Technical Program
- Call for Papers
Student Conference
Tourism Saskatchewan

Proudly Hosted By:

Conference Organizing Committee

Doddy Kastanya

CNS President

Doddy Kastanya

CNS President

Dr. Kastanya received his degrees in nuclear engineering from North Carolina State University. He joined the Canadian nuclear industry in 2005. He is currently a Technical Expert in the Reactor Physics group at Kinectrics. He has served as a member of the technical program committee for many nuclear-related national and international conferences as well as a technical reviewer in the area of computational reactor physics, safety analyses, and mathematical optimization for a number of international journals. In the past decade, Dr. Kastanya has also served as a member of the editorial advisory board for three international nuclear engineering journal namely Progress in Nuclear Energy, Annals of Nuclear Energy, and Science and Technology of Nuclear Installation. Dr. Kastanya is currently serving as the President of the Canadian Nuclear Society.

Derek Mullin

Conference Chair

Derek Mullin

Conference Chair

Derek Mullin, P. Eng, is Superintendent of Safety Analysis in the Reactor Safety Department at Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station. He has worked for more than 34 years in the nuclear industry in the areas of reliability, safety system engineering, probabilistic safety assessment, regulatory affairs, deterministic safety analysis, and uses that experience in support of emergency preparedness including severe accident management. He has been heavily involved in strategies for improving nuclear safety and emergency response both at the regional and national level; and, led the reassessment of tsunamis and earthquakes affecting southern New Brunswick using state-of-the-art methods and current knowledge base.

Peter Ottensmeyer

2nd VP CNS Deputy Chair

Peter Ottensmeyer

2nd VP CNS Deputy Chair

Peter Ottensmeyer, BASc (engineering physics, metallurgy), MA (solid state physics), PhD (medical biophysics), formerly Chair of Medical Biophyscs at the University of Toronto, is currently Professor Emeritus and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and Co-chair of the CNS Education and Communication Committee. His career included physics and engineering aspects of cancer research associated with radiation and radioisotopes. This laid the groundwork for his current passionate post-retirement pursuit of the productive elimination of nuclear fuel waste with an urgency enhanced from being a grandfather. During the COVID isolation period he wrote a 260-page monograph entitled “Neutrons at the Core”, an easy introduction to the fundamentals of fast neutrons related to nuclear-waste-consuming fast-spectrum reactors. He is currently 2nd VP of the CNS.

Cheryl Tasker-Shaw

Communications and Marketing Chair

Cheryl Tasker-Shaw

Communications and Marketing Chair

Cheryl Tasker-Shaw began her career at Ontario Hydro Research Division and then continued onto Kinectrics in 2000 as Marketing Manager. In her role as Marketing Manager she was responsible for branding, communication, advertising, training and in 2017 organized over 100 events worldwide. In 2018, CTS Consulting was formed. She is an experienced event manager with 25 years of experience and a portfolio of over 1,500 tradeshows/events in the electrical industry. Cheryl has been a member of CNS since 2010 and in 2019-2020 Cheryl was elected to be on the Council as Co-Program Chair.

Guy Hotte

Technical Program Committee Co-Chair

Kamal Verma

Advisor

Kamal Verma

Advisor

Kamal Verma is currently Chief Nuclear Engineer with Canadian Nuclear Partners SA and Director of Engineering with Laurentis Energy Partners (subsidiaries of Ontario Power Generation). Prior to this, he was Vice President at CANDU 6 Fleet Engineering with Candu Energy Inc., a division of SNC-Lavalin Nuclear. He has a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Punjab University (India) and a master's degree in mechanical engineering from Tuskegee University, Alabama, USA. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in Ontario and New Brunswick.

Keith Stratton

Sponsorship and Exhibits

Keith Stratton

Sponsorship and Exhibits

Keith is a professional Engineer and has worked in the CANDU industry since 1971, first with Canadian General Electric, later with New Brunswick Power Nuclear and now as a consultant. His experience is quite broad nuclear fuel design and testing, commissioning, operations (Fuel Handling), maintenance, engineering, projects, alternate station manager and strategic planning. Keith has held leadership positions throughout the last being Deputy Chief Nuclear Officer. Service positions included COG Board of Directors, the CSA Nuclear Strategic Steering Committee and the Canadian Nuclear Utility Executive Forum.

Kashayar Ghandi

Technical Committee Member

Mohamad Younis

Treasurer

Mohamad Younis

Treasurer

Mohamed graduated with a B.SC. degree in Nuclear Engineering from Alexandria University, an M.Sc. degree in Engineering Physics, and a PhD. degree in Chemical Engineering from McMaster University. He worked for more than 28 years at AECL, as Reactor Physics Analyst; Principal Engineer - Reactor Operation and Safety Analysis; and Branch Manager - Reactor Core Physics. Since retirement from AECL, Mohammad consulted at AMEC NSS, as Senior Technical Expert for more than 12 years Mohamed is a CNS Fellow since 2018 and he has served forteen years on the CNS Council, participating in various committees (Execution Committee, Service Contract Subcommittee, Financial Committee, and Scholarship Committee as well as several Conference Organising Committees). He also served as the CNS Treasurer for ten years.

Mohinder Grover

Treasurer

Mohinder Grover

Treasurer

Dr. Mohinder Grover is an electrical engineer specializing in Reliability Engineering and Quality Assurance. In his >40 years in the nuclear industry, he has worked at OPG, AECL/Candu Energy. Mohinder's leadership and innovative abilities were recognized by AECL with the AECL President's Distinguished Merit Award.

Paul Spekkens

Technical Program Committee Co-Chair

Paul Spekkens

Technical Program Committee Co-Chair

BBTSI is a small consultancy for the development and execution of strategies related to improving the performance of nuclear facilities. It was created when Paul retired from Ontario Power Generation (OPG) in mid-2016. Prior to his retirement, Paul was Vice President, Science & Technology Development at OPG. From 2014 until his retirement, he was responsible for providing advice to the OPG Chief Nuclear Engineer, and for engineering aspects of the services being provided by OPG's subsidiary Canadian Nuclear Partners. He was also responsible for the leadership of OPG's nuclear R&D Program.

Paul Thompson

Plenary Program Committee Co-Chair

Paul Thompson

Plenary Program Committee Co-Chair

Paul is a Senior Strategic Advisor working in the Advanced Small Modular Reactor team at NB Power. He was a member of the Steering Committee that developed the Pan-Canadian SMR Roadmap and is a member of the Candu Owners Group (COG) CEO SMR Forum Working group and the COG SMR Technology. He has spent over 44 years in the Nuclear Power industry working in various technical and senior managerial roles at Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. and New Brunswick Power. He has a long history of involvement on various industry wide technical and steering committees as well as special projects.

Rhonda Smysnuik

Host Sponsorhip Representative

Rupen Pandya

Conference Honorary Chair

Rupen Pandya

Conference Honorary Chair

President and Chief Executive Officer Rupen Pandya became the President and Chief Executive Officer of SaskPower in 2022. Before joining SaskPower, Mr. Pandya was the Deputy Minister of Finance and Secretary to Treasury Board for the Government of Saskatchewan. He has 25 years of public service experience in Saskatchewan, including previous positions as the President and Chief Executive Officer of SaskBuilds, and Assistant Deputy Minister roles with the Ministry of the Economy and the Ministry of Advanced Education, Employment and Immigration. He holds Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees from the University of Regina.

Samantha Binkley

Student Conference Co-Chair

Samantha Binkley

Student Conference Co-Chair

A current PhD student at the University of Guelph under Peter Tremaine with research focusing on obtaining thermodynamic properties of alternative pH control and redox control additives for the secondary steam system using densimetry, calorimetry, and modeling.

Ujjal Mondal

H&A

Ujjal Mondal

H&A

Ujjal is retired from Ontario Power Generation (OPG). He is working for his consulting company, UKM Management Consulting Inc. Ujjal was involved with Inspection and Reactor Innovation (IRI) department of OPG, where he was engaged in procurement and development of tools for Steam Generator maintenance. His career spanned over 40 years.   His nuclear career began as design of Pickering B Nuclear Station started. He was involved in streamlining design strategies and QA standards for procurement of critical I&C equipment (Pressure Transmitters, RTDs etc.). He introduced application of microprocessor-based technology in a safety related application for Pickering A ECI system. He also used microprocessor-based technology for Powerhouse Emergency Venting (on a steam line failure) for Pickering A and B Stations.   He pioneered development of Digital Trip Meter using Category 1 software for Reactor Heat Transport High Temperature trip application.  Ujjal’s team was honoured with “New Technology Award” by OPG in 1995.  These initiatives promoted innovation and the industry felt comfortable with use of software-based hardware in nuclear safety related applications. Ujjal joined CANDU Owners Group (COG) in 2002.  Ujjal felt strongly with 17 utility and industry leaders to take a collective action against obsolescence in the nuclear industry. The group agreed to develop the concept of sharing solutions via a common obsolescence database. This led to formation of Nuclear Utility Obsolescence Group (NUOG).  NUOG became a workhorse for the utilities, supply-chain, EPRI and INPO around the world.  Ujjal is passionate about strengthening Digitalization programs in the nuclear industry. He used Digitalization and reverse engineering for solving obsolescence for the nuclear industry. Ujjal made several presentations on mitigation of obsolescence and development of obsolescence solutions for the nuclear industry.  

Conference Plenary Committee

Paul Thompson

Plenary Program Committee Co-Chair

Paul Thompson

Plenary Program Committee Co-Chair

Peter Ozemoyah

Plenary Program Committee Co-Chair

Peter Ozemoyah

Plenary Program Committee Co-Chair

In February 2011, Dr. Peter Ozemoyah joined Tyne Engineering as Process Engineer and Project Manager. He quickly rose to become the Manager of the Projects Department of the Company. Currently, Peter is Tyne Engineering Company Vice President and Manager of the Electronics Division of the company. Before joining Tyne Engineering, Peter had worked as a Professor at several Universities and Colleges in North America and in Africa. Peter served as the President of the Canadian Nuclear Society (CNS) during the 2016/2017 Council Year. He was the Executive Chair of the CNS 2016 Annual Conference and has chaired several other committees of the CNS.

Ali Siddiqui

Plenary Committee Member

Ali Siddiqui

Plenary Committee Member

Ali Siddiqui has been with CNL since 2010 serving in various technical and management roles in the S&T mission and corporate office. In his current role his accountabilities include leading of CNL’s Advanced Reactors Directorate including over 170 staff, the associated research, strategic planning, development of new S&T opportunities and support for the SMR deployment project at CNL. He currently represents CNL and Canada on a number of domestic and international working groups and committees. Mr. Siddiqui holds a master’s degree in aerospace engineering and is a professional engineer in Ontario.

Anne Ballantyne

Plenary Committee Member

Brian Fehrenbach

Plenary Committee Member

Brian Fehrenbach

Plenary Committee Member

Mr. Fehrenbach brings close to 20 years of international nuclear business development, strategic planning and sales leadership to the Organization of Canadian Nuclear Industries. His previous roles include Director of Sales and Account Manager with the former AECL Reactor Division, Director Ontario Nuclear Services with SNC-Lavalin, and most recently Senior Manager of Business Development at Laurentis Energy Partners where Brian opened Canadian Nuclear Partners in Bucharest.

Daniel Brady

Plenary Committee Member

Daniel Brady

Plenary Committee Member

Mr. Daniel Brady, P.Eng. Deputy Director, Nuclear Science & Technology, Natural Resources Canada. Daniel joined Natural Resources Canada in 2005 as Program Manager for a climate change technology and innovation program. In 2006, he became a key member of Canada's Gen IV initiative to help further establish and develop Canada's Gen IV National Program. In 2012, Daniel transferred from his position as Program Director of Canada's Gen IV National Program to the Nuclear Energy Division where he currently resides, responsible for several national and international files. When joining Natural Resources Canada, Daniel brought with him 14 years of industry experience in product research and development as well as thermal power station experience. Daniel is currently the Vice-Chair of Regulatory Issues for the Generation IV International Forum.

Doug Opseth

Plenary Committee Member

Doug Opseth

Plenary Committee Member

As the Director of Nuclear Development at SaskPower, Doug leads the team with the challenging task of developing and implementing SaskPower’s pioneering nuclear energy strategy and vision. Doug previously led SaskPower’s Generation Asset Management and Planning Department which was responsible for ensuring the growing demand for power in Saskatchewan can be met while at the same time dealing with ageing generation facilities and increasing pressures on greenhouse gas emissions. Much of Doug’s work the past several years has been focused on the development of SaskPower’s long-term plans towards a net zero future.

Heather Kleb

Plenary Committee Member

Heather Kleb

Plenary Committee Member

Heather Kleb has an MSc, an MBA and over 20 years of experience working on multi-million dollar projects in the forestry, mining, oil and gas and nuclear industries. Earlier in her career, Heather held a number of positions with Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL), including Manager, Regulatory Affairs for the cleanup and long-term management of historic low-level radioactive waste in Port Hope and Clarington, Ontario. Prior to joining AECL, she worked as an environmental consultant, monitoring Luscar Limited’s coal mines and conducting environmental assessments of Weyerhaeuser’s Forest Management Plans. She also worked overseas as an employee of Anglo American Operations, providing environmental monitoring, management and assessment services to AMCOAL, De Beers, and AngloGold in South Africa, Botswana and Mali. In recent years, Heather has assumed the positions of Director, Regulatory Affairs, Vice President and Interim President and CEO of the Canadian Nuclear Association (CNA). Heather left the CNA seven years ago to join Bruce Power, where she held the role of Department Manager, Operations Regulatory Affairs before moving on to Bruce Power's innovation files as Director, Next Generation Nuclear Technology and Senior Strategist, Isotopes and Site Energy Development. Heather has also served as a strong advocate for the nuclear industry as the Past President of Women in Nuclear Canada, Past Vice-President of Women in Nuclear (WiN) Global and as a member of the WiN Global Executive Committee and Board of Directors.

Lidia Matei

Plenary Committee Member

Natalie Alderson

Plenary Committee Member

Riley Found

Plenary Committee Member

Sonia Iqbal

Plenary Committee Member

Sonia Iqbal

Plenary Committee Member

Sonia Iqbal is the Program Manager for the Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Program at CANDU Owners Group (COG). Prior to joining COG, she held various positions at CSA Group, Candu Energy and Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL). Sonia has over 20 years of experience in the Canadian nuclear industry, with expertise in project management, licensing, nuclear safety, security and safeguards. She has extensive experience with nuclear new build and refurbishment projects. She is a member of the IAEA Technical Working group on SMRs and the IAEA Nuclear Harmonization and Standardization Initiative Working Group on Common Approaches to Codes and Standards for SMRs.

Conference Technical Committee

Paul Spekkens

Technical Program Committee Co-Chair

Paul Spekkens

Technical Program Committee Co-Chair

Guy Hotte

Technical Program Committee Co-Chair

Carlos Lorencez

Technical Committee Member

Carlos Lorencez

Technical Committee Member

Carlos Lorencez joined COG in the role of Director, Nuclear Safety and Environmental Affairs (NSEA) in October 2020. Lorencez has more than 30 years of experience in the nuclear industry and has spent the last two decades at Ontario Power Generation (OPG). He most recently served as director of OPG's nuclear safety division. Prior to joining COG, Lorencez served as chair of COG’s Nuclear Safety Peer Group and Industry Standard Toolset Steering Committee. He holds a master’s degree in nuclear engineering from Mexico’s Instituto Politécnico Nacional and a doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of Toronto. As NSEA Director, Lorencez has accountability for managing collaborative regulatory efforts amongst COG members. NSEA facilitates several COG leadership forums, including the Chief Nuclear Officer Forum and through NSEA, COG members work together in several disciplines including safety culture, human and organizational factors; decommissioning and waste management; and, emergency preparedness and response. COG's SMR development program also falls under his NSEA portfolio.

Grant Cherkas

Technical Committee Member

Iain Harry

Technical Committee Member

Iain Harry

Technical Committee Member

Iain is a Senior Business Advisor in Generation Asset Planning with SaskPower. In that capacity, Iain has led the SaskPower team responsible for advancing SMR development and deployment in Saskatchewan since 2013. In 2022, SaskPower selected the GE-Hitachi BWRX as the preferred SMR for deployment in the early 2030s and set up a project team to bring a construction decision by the end of 2029. Iain's focus will now shift to an evaluation of the potential for advanced SMR deployment in Saskatchewan to support industrial decarbonization. Iain serves on many nuclear industry working groups focused on SMR deployment in Canada and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Sylvia Fedoruk Canadian Centre for Nuclear Innovation at the University of Saskatchewan. Prior to joining SaskPower, Iain served as a Senior Advisor to the Premier of Saskatchewan and Vice President of Crown Sector Initiatives with Crown Investments Corporation of Saskatchewan. In that capacity, Iain played a lead role the development of a number of major innovation projects including Saskatchewan’s Uranium Development Partnership, the establishment of the Fedoruk Canadian Centre for Nuclear Innovation, the establishment of the Saskatchewan Centre for Cyclotron Sciences and the development of SaskPower’s Boundary Dam Integrated Carbon Capture and Storage Project – the first and largest commercial demonstration of carbon capture technology on coal fired power generation in the world. Iain holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Studies from the University of Saskatchewan and has more than 30 years of experience in public and crown sector management and public policy development at the federal, provincial and municipal levels. Established in 1929, SaskPower is Saskatchewan’s leading energy provider. Our team of 3,000 employees serves 550,000 customers and manages $12 billion in generation, transmission, distribution and other assets. In 2020, SaskPower generated almost $2.9 billion in revenue on the sale of more than 24 million MWh of electricity.

Ian Grant

Technical Committee Member

Ian Grant

Technical Committee Member

Ian Grant is a consultant with international experience in nuclear safety and regulation. From 2009 to 2018 he helped to establish the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation as the national regulatory body in the United Arab Emirates and to oversee the construction and commissioning of the first nuclear power plant in the UAE. Before joining FANR, Ian held management positions at the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission in Ottawa with responsibility for safety assessment and licensing the nuclear fleet in Canada. He began his career with Atomic Energy of Canada Limited in Toronto and Babcock and Wilcox in the United Kingdom. He has chaired IAEA meetings on nuclear safety and infrastructure development, has participated in numerous peer review and expert missions, and served as a delegate on the IAEA Nuclear Safety Standards Committee as well as the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency committees for nuclear safety and regulation. He holds a BSc in engineering from the University of Glasgow and a Masters degree from Cranfield University in the UK and is a licensed professional engineer in Ontario and a Fellow of the UK Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

Kashayar Ghandi

Technical Committee Member

Larkin Mosscrop

Technical Committee Member

Larkin Mosscrop

Technical Committee Member

Larkin Mosscrop is a PhD Candidate in the School of Public Policy at the University of Regina studying energy literacy and education policy. Prior to moving into social sciences, she studied ecology obtaining her Honours degree from the University of Ottawa and her Masters from Queen’s University. She has many areas of interest including leadership, communication and science literacy as well as environmental and nuclear science. She has a wide range of experience including research, field work, teaching, project management and as a technical subject matter expert. She currently works at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, where she is the Program Manager for Advanced Reactors.