Susan O’Donnell, PhD, is an adjunct research professor in the environment and society program at St. Thomas University, a social scientist with expertise in technology adoption, and an activist and core member of the Coalition for Responsible Energy Development in New Brunswick. Her interest in the climate crisis led to her research on nuclear technologies and the small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) proposed for New Brunswick. She is co-editor of Letters from the Future: How New Brunswickers Confronted Climate Change and Redefined Progress (Chapel Street Editions, 2021). Before retiring as a senior research officer with the National Research Council of Canada, she was vice-chair of the National Research Council’s Research Ethics Board and a member of the Science Advisory Council of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada.
Desperate to reverse its declining fortunes, the nuclear industry began touting a new generation of reactors it dubs SMRs — using the climate crisis as a cover.
