Dr. Holt is an expert in material performance for Nuclear Waste Management. She earned a PhD in 2001 in the field of Civil and Environmental Engineering, with an emphasis in construction materials, from the University of Washington, Seattle USA. At VTT she is a project manager and supervises a group of 26 experts for infrastructure materials and performance. Since 1994 she has worked closely with Posiva Oy, the nuclear waste management organization of Finland, pertaining to repository materials used within engineered barrier systems. Dr. Holt has over 50 scientific publications, has participated in many European Union and international scientific projects, and has served as an evaluator for the European Commission. She is a member of IGD-TP, RILEM and the American Concrete Institute.