From the Lab to International Non-proliferation: The Tale of a Toxicologist and a Chemist
Part Two:
On October 21st, Mo Payne will continue the story of academia to non-proliferation. As a PhD actinide chemist at Sandia National Laboratories, Mo dedicates his days to mitigating the global risks posed by weapons of mass destruction. Drawing from his graduate research on uranium-based metal-organic materials, he will share his journey toward influencing policy in this critical field. Building on themes from Andy's recent talk, Mo will discuss specific classes of chemicals that stakeholders should prioritize for enhanced security and the challenges of regulating dual-use chemicals through multilateral export control regimes. Mo is excited to share insights into the vital role of science in shaping effective non-proliferation strategies.
Bio:
Maurice {Mo} Payne is a senior member of the technical staff in the International Safeguards and Engagements department at Sandia National Labs. He has over 14 years of research experience in synthetic actinide chemistry and chemical and biological weapons nonproliferation. Mo also supports material attractiveness assessments for advanced nuclear fuel cycle facilities. He has extensive real-world experience in low resource regions of the world collaborating with partners to ensure the security of weaponizable agents across the WMD/CBRNe spectrum. Mo received his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Iowa in 2019. While at Iowa he synthesized and scrutinized metal-organic materials for their candidacy in a variety of novel applications like water treatment.