Erik Wilson, Ph.D.

Argonne National Laboratory erikwilson@anl.gov
(630) 252-1939

December 12, 2025

I would like to thank the members of the Isotopes and Radiation Division (IRD) for electing me Chair for the 2025-2026 term. This is an exciting time to be part of the IRD community. This year's significant advancements in radiation detection, isotope production, nuclear medicine, and nonproliferation technology highlight only a subset of the scientific achievements supported by IRD.

ANS-IRD and its members continue to make critical contributions to society in radioisotopes and radiochemistry; nuclear and atomic analysis; neutron sources, beams, and applications; nuclear technology for the life sciences and radiation effects; nonproliferation; research reactors; radiation detection, forensics and signature science; and transuranics. IRD covers a broad portion of the nuclear industry and provides many excellent opportunities for engagement.

There are significant demands for, and advances in, the availability and effectiveness of radioisotopes. Isotopes used in medicine and industry diagnose more than 40 million patients annually, are used to treat cancers, and are necessary for many industrial applications, including petroleum exploration, and to ensure the safety of infrastructure and transportation through inspections.

IRD work involves many research reactors whose missions include isotope production, next-generation materials testing, and applications in radiation detection and neutron beam sciences. These facilities provide cold and other sources of neutron beams used for scientific imaging that enable advances in many fields. Many papers presented at ANS-IRD sessions this year also showcased the exciting and rapidly advancing field of nuclear forensics and signature science, which is critical for nuclear monitoring and supports nuclear nonproliferation.

I encourage IRD members to benefit from, and contribute to, the important scientific and engineering work in our division. We organize and contribute to several technical meetings at the forefront of our fields, including the International Conference on Methods and Applications of Radioanalytical Chemistry (MARC XIII, 2025).

I became active in ANS as an undergraduate student and attended my first ANS conference while I was a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Opportunities within the society have allowed me to positively contribute to both ANS and our nuclear technology community. If you are interested in participating more in IRD, please reach out. We welcome new participation by ANS members in all of our activities.

Best regards,

Erik Wilson