What roles can citizen science play in the governance of nuclear technologies? In this episode, I explore this topic with Michiel Van Oudheusden, Associate Professor of Public Participation in Science and Democracy at VU Amsterdam. Michiel previously worked at the Nuclear Research Centre in Belgium, and had the opportunity to study citizen science initiatives focused on managing nuclear technologies in both Japan and the European Union. We explore what he found in this work, and discuss how these lessons might apply to the Australian context – particularly given the growth in our involvement with nuclear technology due to AUKUS.

This is our final episode for this season. Stay tuned for Season 2 in March 2026.

CREDITS

Guest: Michiel Van Oudheusden

Host: Liz Williams

Audio Producer: Martin Franklin (East Coast Studio)

Acknowledgements

Thank you to A/Prof Fabien Medvecky for recommending Michiel's work to me.

The usual end matter

Nuclear Matters is a production of the Australian National University College of Systems and Society. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands on which this podcast is being recorded on or listened to, and pay our respects to their Elders – and all First Nations people.

If you want to send us some feedback on an episode, email us at nuclearmatterspodcast@anu.edu.au.

Keep in mind that this podcast is intended for information and education only. The views and opinions expressed in each episode are those of the individual speakers and do not represent the official policy or position of the Australian National University College of Systems and Society or the University as a whole.

In this episode, we’re joined by Professor Trevor Findlay, honorary professorial fellow at the University of Melbourne and author of Transforming Nuclear Safeguards Culture: The IAEA, Iraq, and the Future of Non-proliferation.

With the world’s growing interest in nuclear technologies—especially in the context of AUKUS and the global push for clean energy—understanding how nuclear safeguards work to support non-proliferation is crucial. But beyond the technicalities lies a deeper, often overlooked dimension: culture. What assumptions shape the way nuclear inspectors operate? How do values, habits, and institutional norms influence the effectiveness of global non-proliferation efforts? We'll explore these questions (and more) in the episode, so listen in.

Credits

Guest: Trevor Findlay

Host: Liz Williams

Audio producer: Martin Franklin (East Coast Studio)

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Dr Russell Leslie for recommending Trevor's book to me.

The usual end matter

Nuclear Matters is a production of the Australian National University College of Systems and Society. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands on which this podcast is being recorded on or listened to, and pay our respects to their Elders – and all First Nations people.

If you want to send us some feedback on an episode, email us at nuclearmatterspodcast@anu.edu.au.

Keep in mind that this podcast is intended for information and education only. The views and opinions expressed in each episode are those of the individual speakers and do not represent the official policy or position of the Australian National University College of Systems and Society or the University as a whole.

This episode of Nuclear Matters takes us to Montebello Island, a former UK nuclear weapons test site off the coast of Western Australia. Our guest is Madison Williams-Hoffman – or Maddy, for short. Maddy is a postdoctoral fellow at the Radinnovate ARC Training Centre for Radiation Innovation at ANU. She uses chemistry to explore how plutonium from the weapons tests carried out in that region have moved through the marine environment.

She has kindly joined us to talk us through what she’s found, and help us understand why it matters for our explorations of future uses of nuclear technologies.

Credits

Guest: Madison Williams-Hoffman

Host: Liz Williams

Audio producer: Martin Franklin (East Coast Studio)

Contacts

If you are interested in projects and wish to contact Maddy about collaborating or joining the group as a student, you can reach her via the email on this webpage.

Further reading

• The Guardian article on Maddy's work
• The paper mentioned in the article (with Maddy as lead author)

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Nanda Dasgupta for introducing us to Maddy.

Errata

Maddy flagged that the Plutonium ratio they usually look at is 240Pu/239Pu, rather than 239Pu/240Pu.

The usual end matter

Nuclear Matters is a production of the Australian National University College of Systems and Society. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands on which this podcast is being recorded on or listened to, and pay our respects to their Elders – and all First Nations people.

If you want to send us some feedback on an episode, email us at nuclearmatterspodcast@anu.edu.au.

Keep in mind that this podcast is intended for information and education only. The views and opinions expressed in each episode are those of the individual speakers and do not represent the official policy or position of the Australian National University College of Systems and Society or the University as a whole.