Employee recognition program celebrates achievements in medical isotope production, nuclear science and technology, waste management and workplace safety at annual awards ceremony
Chalk River, ON – November 12, 2025 – Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL), Canada’s premier nuclear science and technology organization, is pleased to announce that over 130 CNL employees were recognized for their exceptional accomplishments at the company’s 2025 Awards of Excellence ceremony, which was held last week at Germania Hall in Pembroke. An annual program that recognizes employee excellence, the CNL Awards of Excellence were established to celebrate the outstanding achievements of individuals and teams whose hard work, determination and accomplishments helped CNL deliver its science and technology programs and major projects.
As Canada’s national nuclear laboratory, CNL provides nuclear science and technology products and services to federal and commercial customers, works to safely address Canada’s nuclear liabilities, and is managing the revitalization of the Chalk River Laboratories campus. This year’s winners were recognized for accomplishments that include advancements in the production of an exciting new medical isotope, the development of innovative technologies and capabilities, the implementation of new laboratory standards in key facilities, improvements in organization health and safety, and achievements in waste management and decommissioning, among others.
“I would like to congratulate the 2025 CNL Awards of Excellence winners for their unwavering commitment to organizational excellence, innovation and safety, and for demonstrating what’s possible at Canada’s national nuclear laboratories,” commented Jack Craig, CNL’s President and CEO. “Whether it is advancing new nuclear products and services, leading some of Canada’s largest and most complex clean-up projects, developing new medical isotopes, improving organizational safety or penetrating new commercial markets, these employees stepped up to help bring our corporate vision to life. In doing so, you represent the very best of CNL, and we appreciate all your hard work.”
“On behalf of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL), I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all of this year’s CNL Awards of Excellence recipients,” said Fred Dermarkar, President and CEO of AECL. “Your dedication and ingenuity are driving progress in nuclear science and technology, improving safety and economics, and delivering solutions that matter to Canadians. These achievements show what’s possible when talented people work together toward a cleaner and more prosperous future.”
D.F. Torgerson Discovery Award
CNL’s Awards of Excellence are organized into two categories. The first, known as the D.F. Torgerson Discovery Award, is named after CNL’s former Executive Vice-President and Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Dave Torgerson, and recognizes employees for the generation of new or innovative ideas and solutions, significant research or technical achievements, and new business initiatives. This year’s awards were presented to 75 employees from five groups for accomplishments that include:
- The development of an innovative remediation strategy for nuclear decommissioning
- The advancement of new practices and processes to produce Actinium-225, an exciting new medical isotope
- The development of new tooling to support a Canadian nuclear power station
- The development and implementation of new techniques to detect opioids, explosives and other illicit substances for effective screening and combating crime
- The successful completion of CNL’s first two Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) studies, leading to GLP full recognition for the company
Distinguished Merit Award
The Distinguished Merit Award is given to employees who have made exceptional contributions in productivity improvements, achievements of increased revenue, decreased operating costs, safety innovation or environmental initiatives, development or strengthening of new or existing partnerships, and the exploitation of these results. This year’s awards were presented to 56 employees from six groups for accomplishments that include:
- The unwavering commitment to the well-being of a colleague
- The delivery of outstanding regulatory work in support of the Near Surface Disposal Facility
- The delivery of the Port Hope Area Initiative (PHAI) Historic Waste Project Small Scale Sites Construction Monitoring Program
- The implementation of a new approach to completing small-scale, interior remediation projects, saving time and money
- The identification of new understandings regarding alpha particle safety
- The development and implementation of a novel strategy to better protect employee workers as part of the Legacy Spent Fuel Bays project
For a full list of the 2025 CNL Awards of Excellence winners, including profiles and videos on the award-winning teams, please visit www.cnl.ca/awards. To learn more about CNL, please visit www.cnl.ca.
About CNL
As Canada’s premier nuclear science and technology laboratory and working under the direction of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL), CNL is a world leader in the development of innovative nuclear science and technology products and services. Guided by an ambitious corporate strategy known as Vision 2030, CNL fulfills three strategic priorities of national importance – restoring and protecting the environment, advancing clean energy technologies, and contributing to the health of Canadians.
