Dr Wessel Van Zyl de Villiers is an independent consultant on nuclear non-proliferation, safeguards and peaceful applications of nuclear science and technology. From 2013 to 2022 he was Director in the Department of Safeguards at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria. Up to 2013, he held various Senior and Executive Management positions at the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa). He was Chairman of the Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns for the period 2009-2011 and Served on the Executive Committee of the National Science and Technology Forum for nine years. De Villiers was a Member of various advisory boards and review panels in the National System of Innovation and represented NECSA or South Africa in several international nuclear collaboration programmes. He previously participated on a regular basis - as Lecturer, Technical or Management Specialist - in activities of the IAEA and the AFRA regional collaborative programme on nuclear science and technology in Africa. De Villiers served as the President of the World Council on Isotopes for the period 2014-2017. He has a PhD in Chemistry from the former Rand Afrikaans University and is Registered as a Professional Chemical Scientist with the SA Council for Natural Scientific Professions
