UW-Madison Department of Nuclear Engineering & Engineering Physics

Congratulations, Class of 2026! 🎓

It was a pleasure celebrating our NEEP graduates alongside their family and friends. These students have made a tremendous impact on our department, and we look forward to seeing how their next chapters unfold.

Graduation is nearly here! Meet some of our graduating seniors in the Nuclear Engineering program to learn where they're headed after graduation and what they value most about their NEEP education! 🦡🥳

Meet the graduates: https://engineering.wisc.edu/blog/meet-the-2026-neep-graduates/

NEEP Badgers took Texas by storm at the 2026 American Nuclear Society Student Conference! 🤠⚛️

Our ANS students had a great time visiting the South Texas Project, touring the Comanche Peak Power Plant control room simulator, and operating the advanced reactor simulators at Texas A&M. In addition, senior Ethan Chang presented his capstone project on nuclear space propulsion and Tristan Engelmann presented undergraduate research on telescoping control rods.

We love supporting experiences like this that help our students build connections, gain confidence, renew their motivation, and set the direction for their futures.

Thanks to your generosity, we’ve already raised over $5,000 during !🎉 Our students are eager to make an impact in this field, and your support helps provide scholarships so they can pursue their goals with less financial strain.

If you’d like to make a gift in support of our students, please visit our Day of the Badger webpage: https://dayofthebadger.org/campaign/engineering-physics/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dotb26&utm_content=link&utm_source=campus-tactics&campaign=CA1032279

Our department is growing! With that momentum comes new opportunities and needs, as we adapt to support larger class sizes and new faculty hires. Your generosity during helps make it all possible.🦡

One priority is updating our nuclear instrumentation lab, a cornerstone of hands-on learning in our nuclear engineering program. With your support, we can modernize this essential space to accommodate growth while delivering the same high quality educational experience for all future NEEP Badgers.

Stay tuned for the “after” photos!

Support our mission to empower the next generation of nuclear engineers by making your gift today: https://dayofthebadger.org/campaign/engineering-physics/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dotb26&utm_content=link&utm_source=campus-tactics&campaign=CA1032279

NEEP tied for 3rd in the nation among nuclear engineering programs!🎉

https://engineering.wisc.edu/blog/neep-ranked-3-among-nuclear-engineering-programs-in-the-u-s-2/

“We are proud to be recognized as one of the top nuclear engineering programs in the country,” says Department Chair Paul Wilson. “Our collaborative research community has attracted new top faculty that have expanded our research footprint and allowed us to serve our growing class sizes with the same commitment to educational excellence.”

This ranking also demonstrates the generosity of our alumni and friends of the department who have experienced the impact of this program and want to give back. As we continue to grow—more rapidly than ever—the support of this community ensures our students, faculty, and staff have the resources they need to succeed.

Day of the Badger starts next Tuesday, April 14! If you would like to support the future of our department, you can give your gift here: https://dayofthebadger.org/campaign/engineering-physics/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dotb26&utm_content=link&utm_source=campus-tactics&campaign=CA1032279

Please join us in congratulating our incoming department chair Katy Huff! We look forward to the vision and energy she will bring as she guides the department into its next chapter.

At the same time, we want to express our sincere gratitude to Paul Wilson for his years of outstanding leadership and dedication to the department. We are grateful that he will remain a vital part of our faculty.

Alumna, nuclear leader Kathryn Huff named nuclear engineering and engineering physics chair - College of Engineering - University of Wisconsin-Madison Kathryn (Katy) Huff, an associate professor of nuclear, plasma and radiological engineering at the University of Illinois, will succeed Grainger Professor of Nuclear Engineering Paul Wilson as chair of the Department of Nuclear Engineering and...

Last week, we welcomed nearly 150 high school students from across Wisconsin for Introduce the Future to Engineering Day!

We were honored to have Grace Vanderhei, Katy Huff, and Maria Stefaniak join our panel to share their advice for the next generation of nuclear engineers.

Students also explored cutting-edge fusion technologies from SHINE Technologies, Type One Energy, and Realta Fusion and connected with UW-Madison engineering student organizations at our interactive expo.

A huge thank you to our sponsors— Constellation, Type One Energy, SHINE Technologies, Realta Fusion, and Argonne National Laboratory—for helping to make this a great event!

Some of our brave faculty and staff took the plunge!❄️🥶 This past weekend, team Innovation Engineering Plungers raised over $3,000 to support Special Olympics Wisconsin at the 2026 Madison Polar Plunge!