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Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
Latest Magazine Issues
Aug 2026
Jan 2026
2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2026
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
August 2026
Latest News
The transformation of the NRC: 50 years of commissioners
The dust is beginning to settle following the whirlwind of changes at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission over the past year, and 2025 ultimately may be viewed as a transformative year, as well as the year the NRC celebrated its golden anniversary. The 12 months of that milestone year brought more change to the agency in its composition, its mandate, and its relationship to the executive branch than any comparable period in the preceding four decades.
Now at 51 years and counting, the NRC is working with a full commission and issuing new rulemakings to both regulate and support the next round of nuclear deployments. With the turbulence of 2025 still fresh in our minds, Nuclear News decided it was a good time to revisit the professional backgrounds of all 42 NRC commissioners who have served over the agency’s 50-year history to see how the composition of the commission has evolved over time.
2023 ANS Annual Meeting
Associate Dean for Research
University of Michigan College
Todd Allen is a distinguished nuclear engineer and policy leader currently serving as the Associate Dean for Research at the University of Michigan College of Engineering. After a foundational career as an officer in the U.S. Navy’s Nuclear Power Program, he transitioned to academia and national leadership, eventually serving as the Deputy Director for Science and Technology at the Idaho National Laboratory. A fellow of the American Nuclear Society, Allen is renowned for his expertise in nuclear materials and his commitment to clean energy transition, which he champions as the director of the Fastest Path to Zero initiative. His career came full circle at his alma mater, where he chaired the Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences before stepping into his current executive role to oversee the college's sprawling research enterprise.
