Karine Herviou appointed deputy director general of IRSN in charge of the nuclear safety division (PSN)

Karine Herviou succeeds Thierry Charles, who is retiring from IRSN. 

Karine Herviou, 53, has served as Director of Systems, New Reactors and Safety Initiatives in the Nuclear Safety Division (PSN) of the French Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) since 2017.

Trained as a nuclear engineer at the French National Institute for Nuclear Science and Technology (INSTN), Herviou joined IRSN in 1991 and has held several positions as a nuclear safety expert in nuclear reactor design, accident operation of reactors and emergency preparedness and management. During her professional career, she coordinated the Flamanville 3 EPR safety assessment activities as project manager. She also oversaw the evaluation of the complementary safety assessments conducted in France following the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. 

In addition to the appointment of Karine Herviou to IRSN's Nuclear Safety Division, Igor Le Bars, previously in charge of assessment activities in laboratories, fuel cycle plants, facilities undergoing dismantling and radioactive material transport, has been appointed director of safety assessment for the division. Le Bars, 52, is a graduate of the Ecole Centrale de Lyon and joined IRSN in 1998. Olivier Dubois, 47, a civil engineer from the Paris School of Mines who has served as head of the Incident and Accident Control Department, has been appointed deputy director of safety assessment.

Jean-Christophe Niel, Director General of IRSN: “The transition and succession will be well assured with this team, which guarantees continuity and the highest level of excellence. I would like to warmly thank Thierry Charles for the expertise he has shared over the years and I salute his ​entire career and his unfailing commitment to IRSN and nuclear safety.”