NSE - Nuclear Science & Engineering at MIT

NEWS

2022 Awards

NSE alumna Mareena Robinson Snowden was named to the EBONY’s Power 100

Mareen Robinson Snowden PhD ’17 was recognized this year as one of EBONY Magazine’s Power 100 STEM Trailblazers who recognized for their discoveries and use of their passion for STEM to advance the field of technology, space, health, and education. “Being in the room last night, listening to the stories, and absorbing the energy was deeply refreshing. I take that energy back with me into my work, with the affirmation that the community is behind us,” refelcted Robonson Snowden of the awards celebration.

NSE’s Nuno Loureiro elected as fellow of the American Physical Society

One of six from MIT elected this year, Prof Nuno Loureiro is recognized for “transformative contributions to the theory of magnetic reconnection and for elucidating the fundamental role of hierarchical reconnection phenomena in plasma turbulence, with broad applications in laboratory, space, and astrophysical systems.”

NSE’s Ian Hutchinson wins 2022 Ronald C. Davidson Award for Plasma Physics

AIP Publishing has selected Prof Ian Hutchinson as the recipient of its 2022 Ronald C. Davidson Award for Plasma Physics for his paper, “Electron holes in phase space: What they are and why they matter.”

NSE’s Koroush Shirvan wins 2022 Reactor Technology Award

ohn Clark Hardwick (1986) Career Development Professor, Koroush Shirvan has won the 2022 Reactor Technology Award from the American Nuclear Society, which recognizes practical contributions to the field of reactor design.

NSE’s Zach Hartwig wins 2022 FPA Excellence in Fusion Engineering Award

Robert N. Noyce Career Development Professor, Zach Hartwig has been selected by the Fusion Power Associates (FPA) Board of Directors as the recipient of a 2022 Excellence in Fusion Engineering Award.

School of Engineering Awards for 2022

NSE’s Mike Short, Nuno Loureiro, Charlotte Wickert, and Sreya Vangara are amongst those honored with MIT School of Engineering awards in 2022.

Michael Short wins 2022 MIT Bose Award for Excellence in Teaching

The School of Engineering honors the associate professor of nuclear science and engineering for his experiential approach to teaching.

NSE’s Matteo Bucci wins inaugural DOE Distinguished Career Award

Matteo Bucci, an associate professor in the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering is an inaugural winner of the Distinguished Early Career Award given by the US Department of Energy for Nuclear Energy Projects.

NSE’s Evan Leppink wins DOE Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) Award

In a residency supported by the Department of Energy, the Leppink will explore the high-field side of the DIII-D tokamak.

NSE’s Jacopo Buongiorno receives ANS Presidential Citation

Buongiorno is recognized for outstanding support of ANS Crisis Communications in his leadership of the ANS Rapid Response Taskforce on Ukraine

NSE alum, Jiayue Wang PhD ’22, wins Julian Baumert Thesis Award

Established in 2008, the Julian David Baumert PhD Thesis Award is presented annually to a researcher who has recently conducted a thesis project that included significant measurements at NSLS-II (National Synchrotron Light Source).

2022 NSE + ANS Annual Awards

The Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering and the student chapter of the American Nuclear Society hosted their annual awards event on May 11, 2022.

NSE’s Justin Kunimune wins prestigious LRGF fellowship to further his work in inertial confinement fusion.

Kunimune will spend time at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory working with NSE alum Dan Casey PhD ’12 in Verena Geppert-Kleinrath’s research group, where he will develop new analysis tools to reconstruct the three-dimensional shapes of ICF implosions.

NSE’s Charlotte Wickert named 2022–23 Goldwater Scholar

Wickert, a third-year undergraduate is double majoring in nuclear science and engineering and physics. Together the disciplines allow her to develop a detailed theoretical knowledge base she can apply to work in nuclear energy.

NSE’s Amelia Trainer selected for 2022 Rickover Fellowship

Trainer is one of four graduate students selected for the fellowship in 2022. The Rickover Fellowship Program in Nuclear Engineering assists in preparing students for roles in naval nuclear propulsion and will support the broader objective of advancing fission energy development through the research efforts of the Fellows.

NSE’s Dennis Whyte honoured with Alumni Achievement Award

Dennis Whyte, the Hitachi America Professor of Engineeing and Director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center at MIT is one of seven honorees this year to recieve Alumni Achievement Award given by the University of Saskatchewan (USask). One of the university’s highest honours, this award is given to those who “embody the university’s aspiration to be what the world needs because of their significant accomplishments and contributions since graduating from USask.” Read profile

NSE’s Ju Li recognized for outstanding contributions in materials science and engineering

Ju Li, the Battelle Energy Alliance Professor in Nuclear Engineering and Professor of Materials Science and Engineering was selected to receive the The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS) Fellow Award, Class of 2022.

Yixiang Liu, PhD ’20 awarded 2020 Del Favero Thesis Prize

The Del Favero Thesis Prize is awarded annually to a PhD graduate in NSE whose thesis is judged to have made the most innovative advance in our field. Liu wins the prize for her work in quantum sensing — measuring miniscule magnetic fields with nanoscale resoultion.

Laura Grego, Bilge Yildiz named 2021 American Physical Society Fellows

Professor Bilge Yildiz and Dr. Laura Grego along with Lydia Bourouiba, Hong Liu, Thomas Peacock, and Lindley Winslow from MIT, are named 2021 fellows for their contributions to physics.

Mingda Li wins DoE’s Early Career Research Program Award

Professor Mingda Li received a 2021 Early Career Research Award given by the DoE Basic Energy Sciences Program. Given annually, the award is designed to bolster the research in science by providing support to exceptional researchers during the crucial early career years. It will support Li's research program — Machine Learning Augmented Multimodal Neutron Scattering for Emergent Topological Materials.