Frank Deconinck: A profile of the new man at the ENS helm.

Following the ENS Board and General Assembly that took place in December last year, ENS has a new President. He is Frank Deconinck, a Belgian from the Flemish city of Gent. ENS NEWS is delighted to welcome Frank on board and would like to present to readers – especially those of you who might not know him too well - this brief portrait of the new man at the ENS helm.

Frank Deconinck
ENS President

Frank is currently Chairman of the Board of Governors of SCK-CEN (the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre), Vice President of the Board of Belgonucléaire NV (a company specializing in the manufacturing of mixed-oxide fuel) and a professor of physics at the “Vrije Universiteit Brussel” (VUB). He was President of the Belgian Nuclear Society from 2002-2003, before taking over as Vice president of ENS.

After such a long and impressive career in industry, teaching and research it’s difficult to know where to start. But here are some of the highlights:

Frank has held a number of senior positions, including 7 years as President of Belgoprocess (active in the processing and storage of radioactive waste), 11 years as Vice Chairman of Belgium’s Governmental Agency for the Non-Proliferation of Atomic Weapons and 15 years as Vice Chairman and Acting Chairman of Belgium’s National Agency for Radioactive Waste Management.

Frank is a leading academic with a close association with the VUB that goes back over 35 years. After graduating from the VUB with a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree and a PhD in physics, he began lecturing at the university’s Faculty of Medicine in 1981. His major area of academic expertise is in the field of image processing in nuclear medicine. He performed several expert missions for the IAEA’s nuclear medicine division. He is the author of numerous academic books, articles and communications on research and has presented his work at several international congresses and symposia.

ENS Board, from left to right: Gaston Meskens, Dr. Peter Leister, Bernard Bonin, Miroslaw Kawalec, David R. Bonser, Milena Cernilogar-Radež, Prof. Philip Beeley, Frank Deconinck, Martin Luthander, Kim Dahlbacka, Dr. Krassimira Ilieva

Outside the world of nuclear science, Frank has a number of interests. Since 1986, he has been Chairman of the non profit-making organization “Feeling,” which is dedicated to promoting art for the visually handicapped, and Vice President (since 1994) of “Very Special Arts, Belgium.” From 1989 to 1999, he has organized an international exhibition entitled Tactile Graphic Art and his work in this field led him to being awarded, together with his wife Michèle, the Honorary Tech-art Prize for Blind People (1988).

ENS is extremely fortunate to have such a talented, experienced and dedicated professional as its new President. Once he has been in the job for a while, ENS NEWS will give Frank the opportunity to talk to readers about what he thinks are the major challenges facing him during his mandate.
In the meantime, I am sure that all readers will want to join me in wishing Frank the very best of luck in his new position.