Helixos specializes in bringing ‘cleantech’ to market through strategic business planning, market research, industry engagement, technical advisory, social design and marketing and communications. The organization also has a US branch in Fort Myers, Florida. 

Kollar attributes her successful career path in the nuclear field to positive female role models who helped pique her interest in STEM. She received her bachelor and master’s degrees in nuclear engineering from the Purdue University School of Nuclear Engineering (NE) in 2009 and 2012, respectively. She explains that while she chose to study nuclear engineering, she was more intrigued by business and marketing when she was younger. However, she had an AP physics and chemistry teacher in high school, who had once been an engineer, who inspired her otherwise. Later on, the Women in Engineering Program (WIEP) at Purdue was pivotal in helping her continue on in engineering.

As an undergraduate student, she was introduced to nuclear engineering classes through the First Year Engineering Program (FYE), including Nuclear Space Propulsion. Later in her undergraduate studies, she took NE’s Radioactive Waste Management class, which was fascinating to her, as what she thought was just a technical class, also covered­ policy, communications, and stakeholder engagement, awakening her now-professional passion for these areas. The class was taught by Audeen Fentiman, the Crowley Family Professor in Engineering Education.

Kollar said, “It was the first time that it really clicked for me, that as engineers we can design the perfect product and have all of these technical solutions for radioactive waste, but if we don’t also consider public sentiment – how people feel about something, and the policies involved – then the technical solutions can’t be implemented.” She emphasized the importance of students being aware of both the technical and non-technical sides of engineering.  

She continued to expand her professional experience in international safeguards of nuclear reactors and fuel cycle processes, among other key topics. She served as an intern for various reputable organizations, including Cummins, Inc., American Electric Power and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL).

In 2012, as a graduate student, Kollar became the chair of the Nuclear Engineering Student Delegation (NESD), after serving on the delegation for the previous two years. Through this, she had the opportunity to “go to DC and actually do some advocacy with Congress and also meet with the different departments that the nuclear field works with,” including the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Department of Energy (DOE), she said.

“Nuclear is very much tied to policy and government funding in terms of research and development,” she says and continues, “It’s incredibly important for students to do advocacy for nuclear research and education funding and learn how government works.” Kollar said that students are seen as a neutral voice in this regard.

After leaving NE, she continued on as a Nonproliferation Technical Associate at Argonne National Laboratory. There, she provided technical expertise and project management support for nuclear export control and international safeguard projects. Eventually, Kollar decided to pursue an MBA at INSEAD, based in Fontainebleau, France, wanting to strengthen her business and marketing skills to couple with her technical expertise.

Despite her fruitful career, Kollar said that, as a woman, “People don’t automatically assume that you’re an engineer.” But her Purdue degree helps her establish credibility. Given this reality, she expresses that it is vital for female alumni to stay active and engaged at Purdue and their communities, because it is “important for young students – from middle and high school to university – to see women in the field.” She added, “No one ever told me that engineering is a male-dominated field, and therefore I wasn’t intimated to pursue it because I saw diverse role models.”

A rewarding experience, Kollar believes that continuing to stay active at NE will help her give back in this regard. She currently serves on the NE Advisory Board.

This feature part of the Purdue University School of Nuclear Engineering’s new series of alumni articles. Kollar’s is in honor of Women’s History Month. We aim to highlight diverse Boilermaker alumni that have paved unique paths in the nuclear field and seek to make a positive impact on our campus community.

Learn more about the School of Nuclear Engineering.

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