Federal award cancellations, R&D program shifts, tax incentive phase outs, and proposed budget cuts in science and education funding have introduced uncertainty across the innovation pipeline. Universities face tightening research budgets, national laboratories are grappling with potential restructuring, and reactor companies await clarity on critical commercialization support. This panel brings together leaders from academia, industry, the national labs, and government to examine what’s at stake – and what’s still possible – for the U.S. nuclear enterprise in a constrained federal funding environment. We’ll explore how policy shifts and funding uncertainty impact workforce development, reactor deployment, fuel cycle innovation, and public-private collaboration. Panelists will share insights from their sectors and propose actionable paths forward amid a changing policy landscape. This timely discussion will illuminate the role of sustained investment in securing a vibrant nuclear future.

Moderator

Kathryn Huff

Assoc. Prof. Nuclear, Plasma & Radiological Engineering, Univ. Illinois Urbana-Champaign, former U.S. Asst. Sec. Nuclear Energy

Speakers

Sukesh Aghara

Assoc. Dean-Engineering, Univ. Massachusetts Lowell, Director-Integrated Nuclear Security and Safeguards Laboratory

Andrew Griffith

Nuclear Research Team Leader, Battelle/Executive Director, Deep Borehole Demonstration Center

Kirsten Laurin-Kovitz

ANL

Discussion

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