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Division Spotlight
Nuclear Nonproliferation Policy
The mission of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Policy Division (NNPD) is to promote the peaceful use of nuclear technology while simultaneously preventing the diversion and misuse of nuclear material and technology through appropriate safeguards and security, and promotion of nuclear nonproliferation policies. To achieve this mission, the objectives of the NNPD are to: Promote policy that discourages the proliferation of nuclear technology and material to inappropriate entities. Provide information to ANS members, the technical community at large, opinion leaders, and decision makers to improve their understanding of nuclear nonproliferation issues. Become a recognized technical resource on nuclear nonproliferation, safeguards, and security issues. Serve as the integration and coordination body for nuclear nonproliferation activities for the ANS. Work cooperatively with other ANS divisions to achieve these objective nonproliferation policies.
Meeting Spotlight
International Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering (M&C 2025)
April 27–30, 2025
Denver, CO|The Westin Denver Downtown
Standards Program
The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
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Nuclear Science and Engineering
June 2025
Nuclear Technology
May 2025
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Sam Altman steps down as Oklo board chair
Advanced nuclear company Oklo Inc. has new leadership for its board of directors as billionaire Sam Altman is stepping down from the position he has held since 2015. The move is meant to open new partnership opportunities with OpenAI, where Altman is CEO, and other artificial intelligence companies.
Dr. John E. Kelly retired from the U.S. Department of Energy where he was the Chief Technology Officer in the Office of Nuclear Energy. He was responsible for establishing the strategic technical direction for the Office of Nuclear Energy’s (NE’s) research, development, demonstration, and deployment portfolios.
Prior to assuming the duties of Chief Technology Officer, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Reactor Technologies. His office was responsible for the civilian nuclear reactor research and development portfolio, which included programs on Small Modular Reactors, Light Water Reactors, and Generation IV reactors. Additional responsibilities included the design, development, and production of radioisotope power systems, principally for NASA missions.
In the international arena, Dr. Kelly chaired the Generation IV International Forum and former chair of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Standing Advisory Group on Nuclear Energy.
Prior to joining the Department of Energy in 2010, Dr. Kelly spent 30 years at Sandia National Laboratories, where he was engaged in a broad spectrum of research programs in nuclear reactor safety, advanced nuclear energy technology, and national security.
In the reactor safety field, he led efforts to establish the scientific basis for assessing the risks of nuclear power plant operation and specifically those risks associated with potential severe accident scenarios. His research focused on core melt progression phenomena, which led to an improved understanding of the Three Mile Island accident and, more recently, the Fukushima Dai-Ichi accident.
In the advanced nuclear energy technology field, he led efforts to develop advanced concepts for space nuclear power, Generation IV reactors, and proliferation-resistant and safe fuel cycles. These research activities explored new technologies aimed at improving the safety and affordability of nuclear power. In the national security field, he led national efforts to evaluate the safety and technical viability of tritium production technologies.
Dr. Kelly received his BS in nuclear engineering from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and his PhD in nuclear engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. John E. Kelly, passed away peacefully in his sleep on October 3, 2024, in Gilbert, Arizona, at the age of 70.Read Nuclear News from July 2018 for more on John.
