NC State Nuclear Engineering

09/03/2026

“Jeder ist seines Glückes Schmied” — “Every person is the architect of their own fortune.”

That's how Ph.D. candidate Keanu J. Ammons summed up his experience interning at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics in Greifswald, Germany. In his studies here, he designed and constructed radio frequency systems for LUPIN, a reduced-scale ion-source prototype used to study inductively coupled plasma production and evaluate multistrap antenna designs driven by phase-locked RF generators.

He built on this experience to ask a new question: how do isolation transformers alter the electrical behavior of a high-power ion-source circuit? In other words, how can new parts be added to a system without impeding design and operation?

Learn the answer at http://ncst.at/w7hc50ZIXAI

09/01/2026

The Department of Energy tapped NC State to lead three Genesis Mission Projects, but you might be wondering what those are. Here's five fast facts about the projects.

1. The projects use AI to expedite discovery in high-performance computing, cybersecurity and astrophysics.
2. One project is focused on making advance computing hardware more accessible to scientific research.
3. One project is focused on improving the security of AI workflows.
4. One project will discover new insights into the cosmic origins of elements.
5. NC State is partnering on another project using AI to assess reactor safety.

08/27/2026

NC State’s Department of Nuclear Engineering (NE) recently participated in a panel discussion on “Nuclear Technology – Innovation, Leadership and Energy Security” at Energy Summit 26 held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, this June.

The summit featured more than 300 speakers and panelists from across the energy ecosystem to discuss the future of energy production, energy storage and responsible energy use. The event drew nearly 12,000 participants from more than 3,000 companies.

The nuclear technology panel was hosted by Ryan Rowlands, Consul General for the United States Consulate in Rio de Janeiro. Steven Shannon, professor and department head of NE, spoke at a panel.

The panelists discussed a wide range of topics including technology, regulation and workforce development, with an emphasis on how to navigate the rapidly growing nuclear sector in Brazil and across the globe.

“The need for more clean, reliable energy is clear, and this summit really opened my eyes to the breadth of technologies working towards this goal,” Shannon said. “It is exciting to see the role that advanced nuclear will play in this growing sector as well as the work being done to accelerate development, deployment and staffing of nuclear power systems in the coming years. NC State is very excited to be part of this.”

08/24/2026

08/21/2026

Last night we celebrated the Class of 2030 at the annual College of Engineering Welcome. Our newest students were welcomed by Interim Dean Veena Misra and alumnus Harry Sideris, both of whom ensured our first-years that they are right where they're supposed to be and on the path to success.

08/20/2026

Did you know our PULSTAR reactor is one-of-a-kind? Only two were ever built, and ours is the only one still in operation.

Our 1-MW pool-type nuclear research reactor shares characteristics with commercial light water power reactors despite not generating electricity. Because of this, we can run teaching experiments to measure moderator temperature and power reactivity coefficients including doppler feedback.

08/15/2026

Congratulations to Rawan Mustafa, Ahmed Parsi, Yahya Alzahrani, Akram Batikh, and Prof. Mihai A. Diaconeasa on their recent article in the journal “Reliability Engineering and System Safety”!

08/15/2026

Congratulations to Christian Irvine and John Mattingly on their recent publication in Scientific Reports!

The neutron-induced light yield of a 2.54 cm diameter by 2.54 cm long right circular cylinder of EJ301D and a (5.08 cm)$$^3$$ custom made cube of deuterated trans-stilbene-d$$_{12}$$ (d-stilbene) were measured over incident neutron energies from 300 keV to 2.2 MeV and 200 keV to 2.4 MeV, respectivel...

08/13/2026

Join us on August 20 for the North Carolina Nuclear Workforce Workshop to learn about:
▪️ nuclear engineering workforce development
▪️ the role of our PULSTAR reactor in education
▪️ revitalization of small reactors
▪️ and more.

Register at http://ncst.at/hcjJ50ZyZM4