Purdue announced Monday (Oct. 19) that nuclear energy expert Seungjin Kim has been appointed chief nuclear officer to lead the university's research and workforce development efforts in support of state and national needs.

Three powerhouse public research universities — Arizona State University (ASU), Purdue University and the University of Tennessee Knoxville (UTK) — have united to create the New Nuclear Academic Consortium.

Purdue University’s School of Nuclear Engineering has dedicated a new Nuclear Fusion and Plasma Teaching Laboratory, giving students hands-on experience in one of the field’s fastest-growing areas and strengthening the school’s commitment to preparing the next generation of nuclear engineers for the future of fusion energy.

Purdue University’s School of Nuclear Engineering hosted a three-day Nuclear Outreach Program for High School Teachers in July, bringing educators from across the country together to explore nuclear energy, industry developments and career opportunities for students.

Stylianos Chatzidakis, assistant professor of nuclear engineering at Purdue University, was among the College of Engineering faculty recognized for outstanding dedication to teaching in an Aug. 24 advertisement in the Purdue Exponent.

Seungjin Kim, the Capt. James F. McCarthy, Jr. and Cheryl E. McCarthy Head of the School of Nuclear Engineering, recently presented Distinguished Service Awards to Rusi Taleyarkhan, professor of nuclear engineering, and Kellie Reece, executive assistant to the Head.

38 by 38 honoree returns to campus to connect with the next generation of nuclear engineers

The American Nuclear Society recently selected a team from Purdue Nuclear Engineering as one of four finalists in the 2026 ANS Student Design Competition, marking the second consecutive year that a Nuclear Engineering team has earned finalist recognition. The team will present its work, “Design of MaRCS Code: Modeling and Reduction of Californium Sources,” at the society’s November meeting in Phoenix, Arizona. The meeting’s theme is “Going Critical: Creating a Durable Nuclear Resurgence.”

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science’s Fusion Energy Sciences program has awarded $1,080,811 to Purdue University nuclear engineering professor Ahmed Hassanein to develop advanced materials capable of withstanding the extreme conditions inside future nuclear fusion reactors, addressing one of the most significant engineering challenges to making fusion energy a commercial reality.

Ahmed Hassanein, the Paul L. Wattelet Distinguished Professor of Nuclear Engineering and director of the Center for Materials under Extreme Environment (CMUXE), has been selected to receive the 2026 IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society (NPSS) Richard F. Shea Distinguished Member Award. The honor marks Hassanein’s fourth major international award and recognizes his decades of leadership, service and technical contributions to the fields of nuclear and plasma sciences.