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Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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Aug 2026
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2026
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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.
Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space (NETS 2026)
Deputy Director
Univ. Leicester
Dr. Nigel Bannister is a space scientist and educator whose work bridges deep-space exploration, instrumentation development, and applied space technologies. His research spans space instrumentation, astrodynamics and mission analysis, observational astronomy, and technology transfer into terrestrial and commercial applications.
He serves as Co-Investigator on J-MAG, the magnetometer instrument selected for flight on the European Space Agency’s JUICE mission to Jupiter. In collaboration with teams at Imperial College London, the Technical University of Braunschweig, and the Austrian Academy of Sciences, he leads the radiation design of the instrument, ensuring its survivability within Jupiter’s extreme radiation environment.
He leads the Wolfson Deep Space Centre at Space Park Leicester and was appointed Deputy Director of Space Park Leicester in 2024, with responsibility for Skills and Education. He also leads the UK Space Engineering Apprenticeship Trailblazer group, shaping workforce standards for the UK space sector. An experienced lecturer and public communicator—featured in documentaries including 13 Factors that Saved Apollo 13 and The Saturn V Story—he holds a Ph.D. in UV Stellar Astrophysics and Flight Instrumentation Development from the University of Leicester.
