Sue Ion

Sue Ion
At the 2015 QED conference in Manchester
Born	Susan Elizabeth Burrows (1955-02-03) 3 February 1955[1]
Institutions	Royal Academy of Engineering Nuclear Institute Imperial College London University of Manchester British Nuclear Fuels[2]
Alma mater	Imperial College London
Thesis	Dynamic recrystallisation in a magnesium alloy
Notable awards	DBE (2010) OBE (2002) PhD (1979) Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering FIMMM FNucI
Spouse	John Albert Ion[1]
Website www.wes.org.uk/content/sue-ion blogs.independent.co.uk/author/dame-sue-ion
Sue Ion's voice from the BBC programme The Life Scientific, 26 February 2013.[3]

Dame Sue Ion (pronounced /iːɒn/),^[4] FREng (née Burrows; 3 February 1955) is a British engineer and an expert advisor on the nuclear power industry.^[5][6][7][8]

Early life

Born Susan Elizabeth Burrows on 3 February 1955 in Cumbria,^[9] she is the daughter of Lawrence James Burrows, a planning officer for British Rail, and Doris Burrows (née Cherry), a secretary.^[10]

Ion was educated at Penwortham Girls Grammar School near Preston, Lancashire in the same year as Nancy Rothwell.^[3] As a young student, she enjoyed science, which her parents encouraged by letting her do chemistry experiments in the family's kitchen.^[10][11] At school, Ion, took a leadership role as Head Girl from 1972-1973 and deputy leader of the orchestra. At 16, Ion won a book on atomic energy as a prize for her O-levels in science, which helped inspire her enthusiasm for the topic.^[11] "When I was in school," Ion says, "it was quite different. You were given every encouragement possible to do science subjects if you were interested in them".^[6][9]

Ion went on to study Materials Science at Imperial College London, gaining a first class Bachelor of Science degree and a PhD in Metallurgy in 1979.^{[1][10][12][13]} She taught in an inner London school while completing her doctorate, and used supplies from the college laboratories in her lessons to help students become enthusiastic about the industry. "Where there is no vision," she says, "the people perish".^[3]

Career

In 1979, Ion was first hired as a technical officer at British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL). At the time, she and one other woman were the only females working in the chemical engineering department.^[10] In 1992, she was promoted to Executive Director of Technology,^[14] a position Ion held within the organization until 2006.^{[3][6][13][14]}

During this time, nuclear or atomic energy was viewed as a valuable source of energy, along with the existing coal industry, and a necessary part of rebuilding post-war Britain. It was, according to Ion, an exciting industry with a vibrant research and development program and great prospects. As she told Jim Al-Khalili in a 2013 interview for BBC4 Radio, "Nothing over time has changed my view of that".^[3]

As technical director of BNFL, Ion held a seat on Tony Blair's Council for Science and Technology and has been credited with persuading Blair to change Labour's official government's policy on nuclear power.^[3][13][15] Ion's work, along with David King, took about 10 years of educating government officials to consider the scientific evidence surrounding the issues of nuclear power and renewable energy to inform policy.^[3] Ion also helped advise Gordon Brown on long-term energy policies.^[6]

In 2004, Ion was among 180 women invited to a "Women's Theme Day" luncheon at Buckingham Palace in recognition of her contributions to the field of science and technology.^{[16][17][18][19]}

Ion was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 1996 and was a vice president from 2002-2008.^[20]

In 2006, Ion was appointed visiting professor of Imperial College^[6][9][13] and admitted to the Fellowship of the college in 2005.^[21]

Nuclear Power and Renewable Energy

Sue Ion at QEDCon

Ion has studied energy supplies for more than 30 years. She spent a lot of time early in her career advising government officials about nuclear reactors and countering the negativity caused by the incidents at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl.^[3][10]

"People worry about nuclear waste, but modern power stations create much less than in the past. I'd certainly have no hesitation living next door to one."

— Sue Ion ^[10]

Ion supports the development of smaller, modular versions of nuclear reactors for their economy of size, portability and cost.^[10] These smaller reactors would, most likely, be housed on existing nuclear sites licensed for that purpose.^[22]

Ion views her biggest challenge is "persuading decades-worth of politicians that nuclear energy is really needed."^[11] Her position is that renewable energy sources (particularly wind power), coal and nuclear power will be necessary components of Britain's energy policy moving forward.^[23][24]

Science Education and Gender Stereotypes

In Ion's outreach as a spokesperson for the nuclear power industry, she has expressed a belief that more needs to be done to attract women into the field of engineering.^[25] She is concerned that some areas of the educational system still view engineering as a subject only for males.^[9] While major institutions may support the idea of females entering the field of science and engineering, Ion notes that grade schools under the current system may not provide the prerequisite coursework early enough in students' academic careers for them to be successful at university.^[9]

"I get into terrible trouble when I visit schools to talk to students - especially girls - as I tell them not to dump the sciences because they are difficult. So many choose the softer, creative subjects but I tell them they can still do those subjects later on - what you can't do is go back and study the sciences. They all look glum after I give those talks but they've got to be told."

— Sue Ion ^[13]

Ion supports educational programs that support all students, regardless of gender, to explore science and develop the skills necessary to replace what the Royal Academy of Engineering views as a retiring workforce. In response to a report commissioned by the Nuclear Industry Association (NIA) discussing the UK's plans for future energy production, she cautions: "There will be an unprecedented demand for new infrastructure to support the changes in the energy industry. There are not enough people going into university to study engineering and provide all the turbine specialists, heavy electrical engineers and construction engineers that will be required".^[26][27]

"Grab every chance you've got to watch and learn from others. Take control of your career and ask for the development moves and the experiences that you feel will get you ahead."

— Sue Ion ^[11]

Committees

• EU Euratom Science and Technology Committee (Chair since 2010)^[6][9][13]
• Nuclear Innovation and Research Advisory Board (Chair)^[13][28]
• Board of Governors of Manchester University (since 2004)^[6][9][13]
• Health and Safety Laboratory in Buxton (Board Member, 2006-2014)^[6][29]
• Council for Science and Technology (2004-2011)^[11][14]
• MacRobert Award Judging Panel for the Royal Academy of Engineering (Chair, 2015)^[30]
• Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (Member, 1994-2001)^[6][29]
• Council for The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) (Member, 2005)^[6]
• UK's Fusion Advisory for the Research Council (Chair)^[6]

Awards

• Ion was knighted as a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2010 after receiving an OBE in 2002.^[1][6] Ion was selected for the Woman's Hour power list in 2013,^[7] awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the Association for Project Management,^[31] and received the President's Medal presented by the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2014.^[11][13]

Personal

She married John Albert Ion in 1980 ^[1] and lives in Leyland, Lancashire.^[10]

Selected Articles

• For and Against with G. Kane (Engineering and Technology, 2011)^[32]
• The UK must take the lead on carbon capture and storage (Financial Times, 2008)^[33]
• Nuclear Energy: Current Situation and Prospects to 2020 (Philosophical Transactions: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 2007)^[34]
• South Africa nuclear project arousing US interest (Financial Times, 2005)^[35]
• BNFL reactor far ahead on efficiency and safety (Financial Times, 2000)^[36]

Keynotes and Interviews

• Guest Speaker, QED conference, Manchester, UK (April, 2015)^[37]
• Keynote speaker, IChemE's Sustainable Nuclear Energy Conference, Manchester, UK (April, 2014)^[38][39]
• The nuclear power industry and the politics of power. The Scientific Life, Radio 4 (February, 2013)^[3][40][41]
• "How safe is nuclear power?" Infinite Monkey Cage, Radio 4, London, UK (November, 2013)^[42]
• Opportunities and Challenges Facing the Nuclear Power Industry, Athena Lecture at Imperial College (May, 2004)^[43]

References