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Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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The human factor in licensing and operating the next generation of nuclear plants
As human factors specialists working at the intersection of human performance and nuclear operations, we are witnessing one of the nuclear sector’s most significant transitions in decades. The emergence of small modular reactors, microreactors, and other advanced designs is reshaping the industry’s landscape. Digital instrumentation and controls, passive safety systems, and increased automation are creating opportunities for greater safety margins and more flexible operation. These same features also fundamentally redefine what it means to “operate” a nuclear plant. Interactions among human roles, automation, and passive systems shape how people maintain awareness, exercise judgment, and intervene when necessary. These developments affect both operational realities and the regulatory foundations on which nuclear safety is built.
Hash Hashemian is the President of the American Nuclear Society and has been an active member since 1975.
Dr. Hashemian is the CEO of Analysis and Measurement Services Corporation (AMS), a nuclear engineering firm headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn., that he cofounded in 1977. Under his leadership, AMS has developed instrumentation and control system testing analysis equipment, training, and services that have been delivered to 26 countries. Plants serviced by AMS include virtually every U.S. nuclear power plant, as well as many in Europe and Asia.
Aside from his work in the industry, Hashemian teaches at two universities. He is an adjunct professor of practice at Georgia Institute of Technology’s Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and an adjunct professor of nuclear engineering at the University of Tennessee–Knoxville. He holds three doctoral degrees in electrical, nuclear, and computer engineering.
Hashemian is the author or coauthor of 22 U.S. patents. In addition to hundreds of peer-reviewed journal and magazine articles, conference papers, reports, and guideline documents, he has written three books on instrumentation and control in nuclear power plants. He has also authored standards for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Electric Power Research Institute, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the International Electrotechnical Commission, among others.
He is a member of the European Nuclear Society and a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the International Society of Automation, and the American Nuclear Society. Within ANS, Hashemian has served in a number of roles across various conferences and committees, including as vice chair of the Development Committee; chair of the Honors and Awards Committee; and chair of the Human Factors, Instrumentation, and Control Division.
He is also an active nuclear advocate in Tennessee politics, having served on both the Tennessee Nuclear Energy Advisory Council and the state’s Energy Policy Council. At the national level, he served as a member of the Civil Nuclear Trade Advisory Committee.
