Board of Directors
Mădălina Ștefanic
President, Founder, Member of the Board of Directors, and Leader of the Mentorship Program
Mădălina Ștefanic has 15 years of expertise in human resources and over 37 years of experience in the nuclear field at Nuclearelectrica, Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant, she is a driving force in promoting professional growth in the sector.
Her notable achievements with BSWN include leading an annual mentoring program for young and mid-career professionals, now in its second edition. The first edition (2023–2024) united 7 mentors with 9 mentees, while the second (2024–2025) grew to 18 mentors and 35 mentees. Under her leadership, alongside her dedicated team, BSWN fosters collaboration, innovation, and leadership, inspiring individuals to shape the future of nuclear science and technology.
Valeriia Gergiieva
Vice President, Member of the Board of Directors, Leader of the BSWN Initiatives Black Sea Experts NucTalks and Professional Skills Building Opportunities Program
Valeriia Gergiieva holds a PhD in Political Science. Currently, Dr. Gergiieva is a Visiting Fellow working on the ‘Arms Control and Emerging Technologies’ project at the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy (IFSH) at the University of Hamburg. Valeriia is a non-resident research fellow at Odesa Center for Nonproliferation. In Fall 2019, she was a Visiting Fellow at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation (CNS) in Monterey. Dr. Gergiieva is a member of the Black Sea Women in Nuclear Network (BSWN) and Black Sea Nonproliferation Professional Exchange. In her research she focuses on Nonproliferation, Disarmament and nuclear programs of Iran and North Korea.
Ali Alkış
General Secretary, Member of the Board of Directors, and Leader of the Communication Team
Ali Alkis is a nuclear security professional, currently pursuing his PhD in the field in Türkiye. He is a Junior Associate Fellow at the Research Division of the NATO Defense College, where he collaborates with next-generation leaders and scholars through conferences, seminars, and professional development activities. In this role, he contributes to research on defense policy and strategic studies, enhancing his expertise in international security matters.
As the Nuclear Threat Initiative’s (NTI) Emerging Nuclear Security Leader and the WINS Ambassador to Türkiye, Ali is at the forefront of critical issues related to nuclear security, nonproliferation, nuclear terrorism, and nuclear piracy. His extensive research and leadership in these areas contribute to the global discourse on nuclear security.
Ali is also an active member of Harvard University’s Ukraine Nuclear Security Working Group, which operates under the Managing the Atom (MTA) program. Previously, Ali served as a Nuclear Scholar in the UK’s Nuclear Security Culture Programme, implemented by King’s College London, where he honed his expertise in nuclear security culture and policy.
His insights into Turkish nuclear and foreign policies are widely recognized, and his thought leadership is increasingly acknowledged through his numerous published articles, book chapters, interviews, and op-eds. Committed to raising public awareness on nuclear security matters, Ali actively engages with the broader community through his social media platforms. His work continues to make an impact on both national and international nuclear security policy discussions.
Founders
Margarita Kalinina-Pohl
Margarita Kalinina-Pohl is the Program Director for CBRN Security at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS), Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California.
She has 26 years of experience working in nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear/radiological security, including managing the CNS Representative Office in Almaty, Kazakhstan. At CNS, she has developed and facilitated numerous training initiatives and capacity-strengthening programs for specialists in nonproliferation, including international professional development courses such as the CNS Visiting Fellows Program.
She has also advanced her Center’s efforts to support greater engagement and participation across regions, including organizing specialized training courses focused on science and technology in Africa and Latin America. She founded the Black Sea and Central Asia Women in Nuclear networks and helped launch a CBRN security network in the Middle East.
Her research interests include the history and legacies of Soviet WMD programs, as well as current nuclear energy developments. Her research focuses on the security of radioactive sources in contested territories and the use of OSINT in radioactive sources search and recovery. She serves on the International Nuclear Security Forum Advisory Board, and she represents her organization at the IAEA’s International Nuclear Security Education Network and Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction (GP).
Nataliia Klos
Former President and Founder of the Black Sea Women in Nuclear Network
Natalia Klos is a nuclear security expert with 19 years of experience in the field of physical protection, including at the IAEA, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine, the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. Nataliia holds a Master’s degree in Nuclear Security and Public Administration, and finished her fellowship program at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Monterey, California, USA
Co-Chair of the Initiative Sharing Initiative on Assistance to Ukraine in Radiation and Nuclear Security within the Global Partnership Against Spread of Weapon and Material of mass Destruction in 2017-2022. Permanent Representsative of Ukraine on the Global Partnership meeings in 2015-2022. Chairwoman of Working Group No. III Promoting the Development of Nuclear Security in IAEA International Nuclear Security Education Network (INSEN). IAEA IPPAS mission, nuclear security culture expert.
Shorena Lortkipanidze
Former Vice-President and Founder the Black Sea Women in Nuclear Network
Shorena is the Founder and a Board Member of the Civil Council on Defense and Security, a non-governmental organization in Tbilisi, where she leads a network of experts interested in nuclear security and nonproliferation. Shorena also lectures at Tbilisi State University and is currently completing her Ph.D. thesis on international development assistance and state-building. Her professional interests include foreign policy, defense and security policy, security sector reform, nuclear security and nonproliferation, and peace and conflict studies. Previously, Shorena worked as an Advisor at the Defense and Security Committee of the Parliament of Georgia. Shorena is World Bank-IFC international accountability mechanism dispute resolution specialist/mediator.
Country Coordinators
Desislava Spassova
Desislava Spassova is a legal expert with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Since the beginning of her career in 2016, she has been focusing on international and national legal frameworks regulating nuclear security. Desislava has an extensive educational background, including a Master’s degree in Law from Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski and various specialized courses from prestigious academic institutions such as the Institute for Sustainability Leadership, University of Cambridge and the International School of Nuclear Law.
Desislava has contributed to numerous IAEA missions and workshops worldwide, focusing on the development of teaching materials, promotion of international nuclear security instruments and helping IAEA Member States in drafting their national nuclear laws.
In addition to her practical experience as an IAEA legal expert, Desislava has been an active member of the academic community. She has been teaching International and National Legal Frameworks for Nuclear Security, an obligatory discipline in the master program in nuclear security at the University of National and World Economy in Sofia, Bulgaria. She is also a PhD candidate in political economics at the same university where she has been contributing to the develepment of a new science called crypto economics.
She is dedicated to raising awareness and promoting adherence to nuclear security legal norms globally.
Tamar Kaladze
Tamar Kaladze is an experienced medical physicist with a demonstrated history of working in the medical practice and radiation physics industries. She holds a Master’s degree in Engineering Physics with a specialization in Physical and Technical Analysis from the Georgian Technical University.
Currently, Tamar serves as the Deputy Director of the Andronikashvili Institute of Physics and is the Country Coordinator for Georgia in the Black Sea Women in Nuclear Network (BSWN). Her core expertise encompasses radiation safety and dosimetry, medical imaging technologies, radiotherapy planning, and healthcare services. Throughout her career, she has held various academic and clinical roles, including Research Fellow and Senior Specialist at the Andronikashvili Institute of Physics, as well as
Medical Physicist and Radiation Therapy Technician at leading medical centers.
Tamar is actively engaged in the international scientific community, regularly participating in regional conferences, technical exchange programs, and specialized training sessions (including initiatives with WiN Global and BSWN) to advance nuclear security, safety, and research.
Balan Ionel
Head of National Agency for Regulation of Nuclear and Radiological Activities (NARNRA), Ph.D. of the Republic of Moldova.
Dr. Balan holds a PhD degree in Biochemistry from the State University of Moldova (2000). Dr. Balan has almost two decades of experience radiochemistry and in gamma spectroscopy analysis, including uranium and plutonium enrichment determination.
Dr. Balan joined NARNRA in 2007 and he was of a leader of numerous international technical cooperation projects provided by IAEA and other foreign parties. Dr. Balan was responsible for coordination of nuclear safety and security activities connected with searching and consolidation of orphan radioactive sources. He is one the national experts of the International Technical Working Group in Nuclear Forensics (ITWG) and a Leader of Mobile Expert Support Team.
He has extensive experience in searching for and identifying radioactive (nuclear) materials out of regulatory control.
Claudia Ana Maria Cantaragiu
BSWN Romania Coordinator
Claudia Cantaragiu is an Operations Engineer at Nuclearelectrica’s Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant, with seven years of experience in the nuclear sector and 16 years of professional experience overall. Her background includes chemical manufacturing, wind energy services, and waste management, combining technical expertise with experience in team management and commercial roles. She holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering and has conducted postdoctoral research on cellulose-based membranes for separation processes.
As Coordinator of the BSWN Mentorship Program, Claudia supports professional development and knowledge sharing within the nuclear community. She coordinates the program’s third edition for early- and mid-career professionals and has also led a pilot mentoring program for high school students, with a second edition planned. Through these initiatives, she is committed to helping professionals and students build confidence, develop their skills, and explore career opportunities.
Aylin Gürzel
Aylin Gürzel holds a Ph. D. and is an academic and international security scholar specializing in nuclear policy, nuclear energy, non-proliferation, deterrence, and international security. Her research examines the evolving global nuclear order, nuclear security and safeguards, emerging nuclear technologies, and the political and strategic dimensions of nuclear energy. Her recent work has focused particularly on the future of nuclear energy and Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), Türkiye’s nuclear policy, nuclear cooperation and energy security, as well as the changing international security environment surrounding nuclear deterrence and non-proliferation. Her broader research interests include NATO and European security, transatlantic relations, strategic autonomy, and regional security dynamics.
Dr. Gürzel serves as Türkiye’s Coordinator of the Black Sea Women in Nuclear (BSWN) network, where she contributes to initiatives aimed at strengthening professional cooperation, knowledge exchange, leadership, and capacity-building among women working in nuclear-related fields across the Black Sea region. She is particularly committed to supporting younger generations of scholars and professionals and to promoting greater participation of women in nuclear policy, security, energy, safeguards, and related areas.
Alongside her research, Dr. Gürzel has extensive experience in university teaching and academic mentoring in international relations, global politics, security studies, and nuclear affairs. Her work seeks to bridge academic research and policy debates, with particular attention to the challenges and opportunities created by the emerging nuclear order and the future role of nuclear technology in international security and sustainable energy.
Alona Samsonenko
Alona is a Research Assistant at the Georgiy Kuzmich Training Centre for Physical Protection and Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials at the Institute for Nuclear Research of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. She has 12 years of experience teaching courses in the field of physical protection, accounting, and control of nuclear materials in advanced training courses for nuclear energy workers in Ukraine.
She holds a PhD in the field of study of Electrical Engineering, with the program subject area of Nuclear Power Engineering. She holds a master’s degree in nuclear safety from the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute and is studying law at the Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University.
She is participating in an internship program at King’s College London and in various international courses and seminars organized by the IAEA.
Atiyah Hijriyanthi
BSWN International Coordinator
Atiyah Hijriyanti is an undergraduate student at the Jenderal Soedirman University, Indonesia, studying International Relations. She is specializing in global security, nuclear studies, and strategic diplomacy. Since joining BSWN in 2023 as a mentee, she has actively researched nuclear issues with International Relations, including as a speaker at the 2024 First Annual Regional Conference.
Atiyah is a Junior Researcher and Teaching Assistant, engaged in academic research and international conferences. She previously served as Editorial and Writing Coordinator for International Relations Pedia (2022–2024) at KOMAHI Unsoed, mentoring young researchers and curating scholarly content. Her practical diplomatic experience includes participation in programs organized by foreign embassies, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the UN in Indonesia. She has also contributed to Indonesia-India relations as a speaker and winner of the International Gita Mahotsav held by The Embassy of Republic of India for Indonesia.
Atiyah has further expanded her global engagement through collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), young generation from various countries, and prominent scholars such as Amitav Acharya. With a strong foundation in international security, environmental studies, and terrorism research, she continues to refine her expertise through research, discussions, and collaboration.
Communication Team
Sofiia Tkachenko
BSWN Communications Officer
Sofiia Tkachenko is an international relations student and communications specialist focusing on nuclear security and regional stability. She is currently pursuing her undergraduate degree in International Relations, Communications, and Regional Studies at Odesa I. I. Mechnikov National University in Ukraine.
Her primary research interests center on international security, nuclear studies, and the nuclear policies of European countries and Russia. Alongside her academic studies, Sofiia serves as a Communications Officer for the Odesa Center for Nonproliferation (OdCNP), where she manages social media strategy and helps curate the center’s public digital presence.
She also brings practical diplomatic and negotiation experience from her participation in a Model United Nations conference hosted by her university, combining strategic analysis, public communication, and international relations theory.