Employee Spotlight
Dr Mélodie Herbas, Lead Consultant
Joined NSG in 2020
Q. What was your impression of the nuclear industry before you started working in it?
A. It was not an industry I knew a lot about when I was in high school or university, so I was intrigued and at the same time a little bit frightened. I thought it was a very secretive and highly regulated industry and potentially dangerous.
Q. Describe your career journey to this point.
A. When I was a teenager my dream job was to create perfume, so after my A Levels I decided to do a technical degree in chemistry with the aim of working as a laboratory technician in a perfume company. However, I changed my mind and decided to continue my studies by doing a bachelor’s degree in chemistry followed by a master’s degree in nuclear chemistry at the University of Nantes, France. It was during my master’s degree that I decided to pursue a career in nuclear and more specifically in waste management and decommissioning. In 2014, I moved to England to start my PhD at the University of Manchester. During my PhD, I studied the use of nanoporous materials such as natural zeolites to decontaminate radioactive waste effluents. In 2018, after
finishing my PhD, I moved to Cumbria and joined TÜV SÜD Nuclear Technologies. In January 2020, I joined the NSG Consultancy Services team based in Cleator Moor.
Q. What do you enjoy most about your role?
A. Being able to work on diverse and challenging subjects and seeing how the projects I am working on now can impact the future of the nuclear industry and support the development of a more sustainable environment for future generations.
Q. What three words would you use to describe working at NSG?
A. A friendly, flexible and respectful working environment.
Q. Where do you see your career heading in the future?
A. Progressing within the NSG Consultancy Services team and supporting the nuclear industry by sustainably managing its wastes.
Q. What advice would you give someone looking to join the nuclear industry?
A. Do not be afraid — you might like it!
More Employee Spotlights
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Alex Birrell
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Roxy Fisher
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Alan Hogan
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With over 30 years' experience in the nuclear industry, Alan joined NSG in 1990 and is a member of our Projects South team.