Over the years, Luisa climbed the ranks in regulatory control. By 2002, she was appointed Director of the National Centre for Nuclear Safety, Cuba’s nuclear regulatory body. A year later, when Cuba signed the IAEA Nuclear Safeguards Agreement and Additional Protocol, she played a key role, including coordination with the IAEA about inspections and information exchange . Her leadership extended beyond Cuba, contributing to regional projects in Latin America aimed at developing regulatory frameworks for medical and industrial nuclear technology applications.
While Luisa had dedicated most of her career to nuclear and radiation safety, her transition into nuclear security came unexpectedly. In 2007, she was chosen to complete a master’s degree in national security and defense — an assignment she initially resisted. However, the programme broadened her understanding of security issues and, in hindsight, proved essential to her later career.
In 2014, she was appointed President of Cuba’s Nuclear Energy and Advanced Technologies Agency, overseeing all the country’s nuclear applications, from medicine to industrial use. Yet, life had another challenge in store. When her husband, a nuclear physicist, was offered a position at the IAEA, they decided to relocate to Vienna.
“I arrived in Vienna in 2016 without a job, which was hard for someone as active as me, but I wanted to keep our family together.”
However, this move ultimately led her in 2019 to a full-time position with the IAEA, working on the Regulatory Infrastructure Development Project with a focus on nuclear security.
“For me, regulation is in my blood,” she says. “Safety and security in nuclear applications are crucial, and I’ve dedicated my life to ensuring they are upheld.”
