IAEA Profile: From Football Field to Nuclear Safety

The IAEA profiles employees to provide insight into the variety of career paths that support the Agency’s mission of Atoms for Peace and Development and to inspire and encourage readers, particularly women, to pursue careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) or STEM-adjacent fields. Read more profiles of?women at the IAEA.?? 

“When people talk about nuclear energy, they immediately ask two questions: is it safe and what will happen with the waste? I really like that I can answer the question with confidence and reassure people that radioactive waste management is safe,” said Jaqueline Calabria, IAEA Radiation Protection Specialist. 

But how did she get here? Calabria credits football for shaping her career. 

Growing up in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Calabria pushed herself harder and practised on the field to earn a spot on the football team. “On the pitch I learned discipline, which later helped my nuclear career,” said Calabria. “But I never thought I would get into the IAEA.”

Her love for chemistry and desire to work in a laboratory, drove her to pursue higher education in science. However, her family could not afford to send her to a private university and the public universities in Brazil were highly competitive. 

Driven by the discipline she developed playing sport, Calabria again pushed herself, this time academically, studying in the evenings and weekends. She became the first person in her family to be accepted to a public university, the Federal University of Minas Gerais, where she studied chemistry. 

Calabria completed a master’s programme in radiation, minerals and materials at the Nuclear Technology Development Center, a research institute connected to the Brazilian National Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN). 

There, she explored other scientific disciplines before discovering radiation sciences, and the safe management of radioactive waste — an area she found rewarding and also led her to complete a PhD. 

"Jaqueline’s commitment and insight were truly remarkable, significantly advancing our understanding of radiation sciences,” said Stela Cota, Jaqueline’s former PhD supervisor and mentor at CNEN. 

At the same Center in 2014, Calabria began her professional career field as a technician — a job that also led her back to the football pitch. 

“During the 2014 Fifa World Cup in Brazil I monitored stadiums for radiological threats,” recalls Calabria, in what she describes as a “blending of worlds”. 

Working her way up, Calabria moved to the CNEN at headquarters in Rio de Janeiro as a nuclear safety and radiation protection inspector at nuclear power plants. At the same time, she joined the Brazil branch of Women in Nuclear (WiN), an organization of likeminded women, where she was elected as vice president in 2020.

Although she was aware of the IAEA “for the best of the best”, she didn’t see herself being part of it.

Others saw her differently. 

“Jaqueline has a rare sense of collective effort and expects no personal recognition. She truly believes in the power of collaboration and setting a personal example as a way to encourage women and girls,” said Danila Dias, WiN president at the time.

“It was WiN that helped me overcome my doubts,” says Calabria. 

Since joining the IAEA in 2022, Jaqueline has achieved several professional accomplishments. She has overseen the redesigned and maintenance of the Database on Discharges of Radionuclides to the Atmosphere and the Aquatic Environment (DIRATA), which facilitates the transparent reporting of radioactive releases from nuclear and radiation facilities around the world. 

She also led the drafting of a new General Safety Guide on Monitoring for Protection of the Public and the Environment (No. GSG 19),  guiding and  monitoring radioactive releases to ensure public and environmental safety. 

Calabria champions early career professionals, designing workshops and activities under the IAEA programme on Methods for Radiological and Environmental Impact Assessment to help them develop their expertise. 

A leader in her field, in 2025 Calabria led on the field as well, she captained the IAEA women’s football team to victory at UNESCO’s Inter-Agency Games in Rennes, France.

“Football taught me discipline and persistence. Even now, these principles are at the heart of everything I do and guide my work to help protect people and the environment,” said Calabria.

Her advice for the generation? “Surround yourself with people who see your potential, even when you don’t see it yourself.” 

The IAEA is committed to gender equality and to supporting the ability of all individuals, regardless of gender, to equally contribute to and benefit from its programmes and activities.  

Additionally, in 2020, the IAEA launched the?Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme (MSCFP)?to support the next generation of women nuclear professionals by offering scholarships for master’s degree in nuclear-related fields. A new IAEA initiative launched in March 2023, the?Lise Meitner Programme, offers early- and mid-career women multiweek training visits to nuclear facilities.? 

Read more about the IAEA’s work on?gender equality, and apply for vacancies, internships or pipelines.?