NC State nuclear engineering ranked one of the best in the nation

Department of Nuclear Engineering

The US News & World Report 2023 Best Nuclear Engineering Rankings places NC State Nuclear Engineering graduate program in the top 3. We are 3rd nationally among public and private institutions (2019 through 2023). Among public universities, we are 1st in the southeast and share 2nd nationally. 

Nationally, NC State Nuclear Engineering is the largest stand-alone department with a research reactor. The PULSTAR reactor is a University of North Carolina (UNC) Board of Governors Center. As one of 50 Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Nuclear Science User Facility (NSUF) locations, we provide researchers with capabilities ranging from neutron, gamma, and ion irradiation to post-irradiation examination. 

Our research areas include reactor systems engineering, radiation interactions & detection, plasma science & engineering, and nuclear fuel & materials. Crosscutting and/or application areas include modeling and simulation, nuclear waste management, nuclear security & nonproliferation, nuclear reactor program and health physics. 

Examples of ongoing collaborations include – 

• Advancing reactor technology through partnerships with GE-Hitachi, BWXT, X-Energy, and INL Microreactor Applications Research Validation and Evaluation (MARVEL)
• Co-leading in a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NSF) Digital-Twin-based Automation Research Project
• Participating in a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Nuclear Safety Research and Development (NSR&D) Program grant, led by Idaho National Laboratory (INL), on advancing multi-hazard risk and safety considerations for aging nuclear facilities
• Participating in a U.S. DOE Office of Basic Energy Science Energy Frontier Research Center renewal, led by Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to gain the “Fundamental Understanding of Transport Under Reactor Extremes (FUTURE)”
• Participating in a U.S. Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) $25 million consortium for research in nuclear forensics

Examples of (inter)national leadership roles include –

• The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Lise Meitner Program for early to mid-career nuclear engineering women professionals
• The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) Working Party on Scientific Issues and Uncertainty Analysis of Reactor Systems (WPRS)
• The OECD NEA Global Forum Working Groups
  • Achieving gender equity in the nuclear engineering and technology and academic workforce
  • Nuclear Education, Science, Technology and Policy 
  • Rethinking the relationship between nuclear energy and society 
  • Revitalizing innovation in the nuclear sector to improve the future competitiveness of nuclear energy
• Ten incoming American Nuclear Society (ANS) leadership positions including Vice President/President-Elect

The 2022-23 fact sheet is available here. Further details on research, curricula as well as news and upcoming events are available here.

This post was originally published in the Department of Nuclear Engineering.