12:00-13:00 Lunch and lecture

13:00-14:00 Activity session (optional)

Delivered by the National Nuclear Laboratory’s Director of External Relations, Adrian Bull, and Plant Chemist and lead for its R&D programme on Public Engagement with Nuclear Issues, Reuben Holmes.

During the activity session, attendees will collaborate in small groups on a challenge to further explore the themes discussed.

Challenge: working in groups, develop a high-level public engagement/consultation strategy for siting a Small Modular Reactor in one of two places, (1) Sellafield site in Cumbria, or (2) The University of Manchester campus. Activity detail subject to final confirmation.

This event is part of a nuclear and public engagement series which also includes:

Lecture 1: UK history of nuclear communications: The good, bad and lessons learned, Tues. 16 April. Click here to book.
Lecture 2: International responses to crisis: Communications, “remediation” measures and their psychosocial impacts (focus on Chernobyl and Fukushima), Mon. 24 June. Click here to book.
Lecture 4: International approaches to public engagement with nuclear issues, Thurs. 17 Oct. Click here to book.
Lecture 5: Geological disposal: public engagement and societal impacts, Tues. 10 Dec. Click here to book.

The series aims to provide:

An appreciation of the complex and varied history of the nuclear industry’s communications activity.
An understanding of the importance of successful communication at all levels and the implications of getting it wrong.
Insight into the academic study of communications and engagement in the nuclear sector.
An appreciation of the key elements of good practice in stakeholder and public communication in a nuclear context.
First-hand experience of the tasks and challenges faced by communicators in the nuclear industry, thereby picking up a basic level of expertise in this area.

About the speakers

Adrian Bull MBE, Director of External Relations, National Nuclear Laboratory

Adrian has responsibility for co-ordinating NNL’s external links, communications, profile and reputation across the UK and – increasingly - internationally. As such, Adrian is closely involved with a wide range of stakeholders including politicians, Government officials, media, customers, industry organisations and universities. Prior to taking up this role in 2012, Adrian was Head of Media and Stakeholder Relations for Westinghouse in Europe.
He has worked on many submissions to UK Government consultations on nuclear and energy policy matters, and has given evidence to several UK Government Committees on energy issues. Recently he has been closely involved with the work of the Nuclear Industry Council on communication and public understanding of nuclear energy.

Adrian is a member of the nuclear communications groups at UK, European and global levels, through the UK Nuclear Industry Association, Foratom and the World Nuclear Association respectively. He is a Board Member of both Marketing Cheshire and the Science Media Centre and sits on a number of other committees for bodies such as the Confederation of British Industry and the UK Nuclear Institute. Adrian is a Fellow of the UK Energy Institute and was awarded an MBE in the 2018 New Year’s Honours List for his work on the development of public understanding of nuclear.

Reuben Holmes, Plant Chemist and lead for R&D programme on Public Engagement with Nuclear Issues, National Nuclear Laboratory

Reuben is a chartered chemist, with more than 6 years of experience in the nuclear industry. Between 2012 and 2015 he worked at Sellafield Ltd providing technical support to the nuclear fuel reprocessing plants, and in 2015 he joined NNL where he has since held the role of Plant Chemist.

Reuben has been heavily involved in NNL’s R&D programme on ‘Public Engagement with Nuclear Issues’, and in 2017 he took on the leading role for this research programme. Reuben has been involved in several public engagement projects, both in the UK and across the EU. In 2016, he was part of the NNL team that delivered a UK public dialogue study, as well as co-authoring a UK/EU position paper on public engagement in the nuclear sector. Reuben also led the development of an ‘EU Nuclear Public Engagement Toolkit’ through the NUGENIA Association.

He is currently co-leader of the NUGENIA TA6 sub-group that researches public engagement issues internationally. Since 2018 he has been working in collaboration with The Beam cross-disciplinary research network hosted by The University of Manchester’s Dalton Nuclear Institute, which brings together the nuclear sciences and social research.

UK approaches to public engagement with nuclear issues