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Staff Stories

Kattalai Ramachandran Sriram - Head, Office of the Director-General

#go boldly where no one has gone before;
#India;
#Office of the Director-General;
#Department Head;
#second stint at ITER;
#living in Provence 

Kattalai Ramachandran Sriram heads the Office of the Director-General at ITER. In his role, he is responsible for strategic and operational support to the Director-General and the Deputy Director-Generals of the organization. His most recent and primary responsibility has been to draw up the costs for the ITER 2024 baselining exercise that was presented to the ITER Council June 2024.  

“For me, building the ITER tokamak is one of the most fascinating and challenging projects undertaken in the world today. To quote Star Trek, we are aiming to ‘boldly go where no one has gone before.’” 

At the end of the day, says Sriram, the success of the ITER project will determine if fusion continues to be considered a feasible source of renewable energy in the future. ITER's success is thus critical for the advancement of other fusion projects, both in the private and public sectors. Sriram feels proud that so many participants across the ITER project are collaborating in the best way possible to achieve successful project realization.

“Although I do not think this is a widespread issue, one of the biggest challenges is that some managers and staff are still getting attuned to the importance of cost control and cost effectiveness in the implementation of the project—this is still a work in progress. It is important for everyone to understand that whatever we ask for will have to be paid by the taxpayers of the seven Members." And he should know. This is Sriram’s second five-year stint working at the ITER Organization. During his first five years, Sriram had worked in ITER’s Finance, Budget & Management Directorate. He then left ITER to join the offices of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. After five years in that position, he saw that a position in the Director-General’s office was open and he applied. He is delighted to be back at ITER after a five-year hiatus, where his now 35 years of experience in public and financial accountability are being brought to bear on his current duties.  

“Through the ITER re-baselining exercise, we are managing to gain some ground.” Sriram is referring to the recent construction and operation plans reviewed by the ITER Council Science and Technology Advisory Committee in September 2023 and May 2024. The goal of the re-baselining exercise is to minimize the impact of vacuum vessel and thermal shield repair on the timeline to nuclear operation, as well as provide a more robust path to ITER licensing and to the routine demonstration of ITER Q=10 scientific goal. "Because of this exercise, the construction project has developed a growing appreciation for cost effectiveness, all the while focusing on delivery of scope, schedule, and functional and quality requirements. For example, there has been considerable progress in the optimization of the assembly and installation schedule and sequence.” 

“No doubt about it, Provence is a lovely place to live," says Sriram. He enjoys going out on weekends to see the beauty it has to offer, whether by enjoying the nature in the area, or by taking trips to small hilltop villages (villages perchés) which embody Provence "in all its glory." There is a winter season in Provence with less daylight, he'd like to remind everyone, but the weather is not bad. Overall, he says, "Provence offers beauty of all kinds. It is just up to you to select what you enjoy the most while you are here!