Atomic Alumna: Farnaz Alimehri

By Isabella Willhite, Staff Writer

“Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of the worlds.”

This verse from the Bhagavad Gita were the words that Robert J. Oppenheimer uttered when watching the detonation of the atomic bomb that he created, in July of 1945.

There has been lots of talk about Oppenheimer after Christopher Nolan’s hit movie. Oppenheimer tells the story of the scientific advancement of the atomic bomb with motifs on allegiance, politics, and morality. It has been the highest-grossing R-movie of the year, and it is also becoming the highest-grossing WWII movie of all time.

The movie provides important context for the Atomic Age that our world entered after the development of the bomb. Today, five countries are officially recognized as possessing nuclear weapons by the Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), which seeks to inhibit the spread of nuclear weapons. These countries are the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China and Russia.

North Korea joined the NPT but withdrew in 2003. Pakistan, India, and Israel never joined the NPT but are assumed to possess nuclear weapons.

Over 50 countries utilize nuclear energy. Nuclear energy is incredibly efficient; a nuclear reactor typically produces one gigawatt of energy, which would require two coal plants, or three to four renewable plants. Since 1990, nuclear energy has supplied 20% of America’s power. Nuclear energy has been increasingly leveraged in developing countries for this effectiveness, low costs, and little waste.

Photo provided by Farnaz Alimehri.

Working in the space of ensuring nuclear nonproliferation is Regis alumna Farnaz Alimehri. Farnaz graduated from Regis with a BA in Politics, driven by her interests of understanding why people in power make the decisions that they do. Her favorite classes were those with Dr. Schmidt - they were so engaging that she forgot the time went by. She also enjoyed her RCC classes as they laid the foundation for her to engage with different perspectives, even those that she did not agree with. Whether it be in the space of nuclear safeguards, or just day to day life, Farnaz emphasizes the need for multiple perspectives. At Regis, Farnaz perfected her French and Spanish. She also speaks Farsi and English.

During her time at Regis, Farnaz met her best friend, Catalina Nicole Hooser, who tragically passed away. Farnaz worked closely with Dr. Nicki Gonzalez to help set-up a Scholarship in Catalina’s name to support first-generation students and students with financial barriers to attend college. To read more about the Catalina Nicole Hooser Scholarship for Dreamers, click here.

Farnaz said that if she could go back in time and give herself advice while at Regis, she would say that it is okay to not be perfect, and that it is important to not try to appease others. Even though it can be hard to recognize, you shouldn’t be a version of yourself that never existed in the first place.

After finishing at Regis, Farnaz was accepted to Georgetown’s Masters of Arts program in Security Studies. As an Iranian-American, Farnaz traveled to Iran frequently growing up. Her mom was a teenager during the Iran-Iraq war, and her community was greatly impacted by Iraq's use of chemical weapons. These experiences brought her to a concentration in unconventional weapons and nonproliferation.

At Georgetown, Farnaz worked for the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS). CNS is one of the largest nongovernmental organizations in the world that is focusing on curbing the spread of weapons of mass destruction. At the time of her Master’s, Farnaz was even more drawn to these questions as Iran and the P5+1 countries began negotiations around the Joint Plan of Action (JPOA). The JPOA sought to halt Iranian nuclear development efforts in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.

Following her time at Georgetown, Farnaz moved to Vienna as a Training Officer for the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA). Reporting to the United Nations Security Council, the IAEA is known as the world’s center for nuclear cooperation. The IAEA assits member states in maintaining peaceful uses for nuclear technologies, developing nuclear safety standards, and verifying states are upholding their nonproliferation and arms agreements.

At the IAEA, Farnaz trained representatives from various nation states to become nuclear safeguards, inspectors, and analysts. She was “blessed for her personal and professional connections,” and learned from colleagues that had inspected Iranian and North Korean facilities. Reflecting on her time at the IAEA, Farnaz feels privileged for her connections, and for the opportunity to visit so many nuclear facilities. While based in Vienna, Farnaz also helped provide aid to Ukrainian refugees at the time of Russia’s invasion. You can read about her efforts here.

Prior to her three years with the IAEA, Farnaz worked for Argonne National Laboratories in Lamont, Illinois. There, her work focused on export controls for dual-use items, or items that have both military and civilian uses.

Farnaz is currently working with the Sandia National Laboratories, which was founded out of the original Manhattan Project. There, Farnaz has continued her work in nonproliferation as a senior member of the technical staff with Sandia’s Center for Global Security and Cooperation. She is also the Middle East and African lead for the Cooperative Monitoring Center (CMC) at Sandia. Established for almost 30 years, the CMC is using emerging technology as a site for building cooperative engagements and strengthening international security. Farnaz is currently continuing her education with a Masters of Science in Nuclear Science and Technology from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom.

One of the most interesting aspects of her work is tracing how state and non-state actors acquire and or build nuclear materials and technology, despite sanctions and export controls. Farnaz trained and worked with officers who seized the Chong Chon Gang ship - a vessel that was smuggling weapons components from Cuba to North Korea. Farnaz’s work is incredibly important, and incredibly tangible.

While visiting Regis in September, Farnaz discussed several important themes that have been emerging specifically in the Middle Eastern nuclear landscape. These themes included Saudi Arabia’s rescinding of its nuclear small quantities protocol to their comprehensive safeguards agreement and Iran’s enrichment processes. In Iran specifically, protests and the aging of the Supreme Leader posit important questions about the political future of the country and the future of their nuclear program. However, as she emphasizes, it remains important to distinguish the country and people of Iran from the government of Iran.

Farnaz is driven by the sacrifices her parents made when she and her family moved to the United States, giving up their community in Iran for her and her brother. Farnaz plans to continue making peaceful nuclear energy and technology accessible, and ensuring that these nuclear materials are not used for nefarious purposes.

Photo provided by Farnaz Alimehri.