Monday 14 July 2025

United Kingdom National Nuclear Laboratory (UKNNL) has been nominated in three categories at the prestigious Women in Nuclear (WiN) UK awards. These awards recognise those who have gone above and beyond to promote gender balance and diversity across the nuclear sector. 

Two of our people, Annie Hartley and Nassia Tzelepi, have been nominated for the Mission Impossible and Technical Excellence Awards respectively, while UKNNL as an organisation has been nominated for a Chartered Signatory Award.  

UKNNL’s nominations in each of these distinctive and important award areas highlight how we are fulfilling our mission as a national lab to enable and deliver nuclear outcomes for government, in support the growth of the nuclear sector. 

Speaking about UKNNL’s nomination, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manager, Mary Erlund said:

“We are delighted to be shortlisted for the Chartered Signatory Award. 

“We know that our business is powered by our passionate people, and we need to create an organisation where everyone can thrive and bring their whole selves to work. 

“We’re proud of our progress to date, which is underpinned by great data insights and embedding ED&I throughout our business. We know there’s lots more we can do to support our inclusive, innovative business and the wider sector and this nomination is a lovely testament to what we’ve done so far.” 

Annie Hartley, Assistant Project Manager, nominated for the Mission Possible Award 

Annie has been nominated for her commitment to inclusion and diversity. With her background as a science teacher, Annie brings a unique perspective to UKNNL’s outreach initiatives, inspiring young people, particularly girls, to pursue STEM careers. 

As well as her role as an Assistant Project Manager, Annie is also an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I) Feedback Workstream Lead for UKNNL and leads our ED&I ambassador programme. Her practical initiatives, such as organising an ED&I ambassador networking and upskilling day, demonstrate her commitment to creating an inclusive environment where all employees can thrive. 

Her influence has reached national platforms, where she engaged directly with the Prime Minister on strategies for increasing STEM engagement in schools, showing how at UKNNL we drive forward nuclear ambitions on behalf of the entire nuclear sector. 

Nassia Tzelepi, Senior Fellow in Graphite Technology and Post Irradiation Examination, nominated for a Senior Technical Excellence Award  

Across her 20+ year career in nuclear, Nassia has focussed on plant life extension of the UK’s current nuclear fleet, graphite decommissioning and the next generation of graphite-moderated nuclear reactors. 

Nassia has been nominated for the Technical Excellence Award for her leadership in the design phase of a High-Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor, which is an important collaboration between the UK and Japan. As a materials expert, Nassia is passionate about contributing to the safe operation of nuclear reactors generating zero carbon power.  

Nassia’s nomination highlights how we are focussed on ensuring the technical quality efficient delivery of programmes of national importance so we can continue to enable nuclear outcomes for government.  

The award winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on Tuesday 15 July.