Dame Sue Ion GBE FREng FRS

Dame Sue Ion is globally renowned as a nuclear power expert and champion of the UK engineering profession. With a career exceeding three decades in the sector, Dame Sue is a prominent advocate for female engineers. A Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, she is a highly respected advisor to governments at home and abroad on nuclear energy policy.  

After studying at Imperial College London, Sue was hired at British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL) in 1979 and was one of only two women in the Technical Dept supporting fuel manufacturing. She went on to lead a team of over 1,000 scientists there, drawing annual investments exceeding £100m.   

She later built a significant profile in influencing energy policy, taking on advisory roles with the Prime Minister’s Council for Science and Technology, the Energy Research Partnership, and the EU Scientific and Technology Committee. As a result of her expertise and commitment, she was credited with changing UK Prime Minister Tony Blair’s official policy on nuclear power and remains one of the foremost industry experts to this day.  

As well as continuing outreach activities that support the wider industry, Sue is a great proponent for getting more women into engineering roles. She was the first woman to be awarded the Royal Academy of Engineering’s President’s Medal – one of the profession’s most prestigious awards – and does regular outreach in schools to encourage girls to take up STEM careers. She was made a Dame Grand Cross in 2022 for services to engineering.