Candida Lean is a Geoscientist with a PhD in Geophysics and Geochemistry. She is a Chartered Geologist, a Chartered Scientist and a Fellow of the Geological Society. Candida is the Technical Team Leader for the NNL Risk Assessments Team and a senior technical specialist with over 13 years experience in the field of contaminated land and radioactive waste disposal facility risk assessment and safety case development.
Candida has played a leading role in a variety of projects. She was a key author for the 2002 Drigg Post-Closure Safety Case and has led subsequent projects to support continued operations at the low level radioactive waste repository (LLWR), including acting as technical lead for NNL input to the LLWR Lifetime and Environmental Safety Case projects, which support the development of the 2011 LLWR Environmental Safety Case. She has also led the development of the safety assessment and risk assessment to underpin continued and re-authorisation of the South and Calder landfills on the Sellafield Site.
In addition to her expertise in radioactive waste disposal facility assessment, Candida is a specialist in contaminated land risk assessment for radioactive and non-radioactive contaminants. This expertise has been nationally recognised in recent roles as a member of the former Government-sponsored Soil Guideline Value Task Force and as a Steering Group member of the Soil and Groundwater Technology Association. She has prepared a significant number of guidance documents for the NDA and Site Licence Companies (SLCs) covering topics such as key emerging issues in contaminated land legislation and guidance, contaminated land safety cases, contaminated land risk assessment and ecological assessment. Recently she has worked with the NDA and SLCs to define a land quality research programme for the NDA.
She has co-authored over 15 external publications and has represented the NNL as a technical specialist on international collaborative programmes with the Nuclear Energy Agency and the Network for Industrially Contaminated Land in Europe. She has also represented the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as a technical specialist and is a participant in the IAEA project on the Practical Illustration and use of the Safety Case Concept in the Management of Near-surface Disposal (PRISM).
