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Division Spotlight
Decommissioning & Environmental Sciences
The mission of the Decommissioning and Environmental Sciences (DES) Division is to promote the development and use of those skills and technologies associated with the use of nuclear energy and the optimal management and stewardship of the environment, sustainable development, decommissioning, remediation, reutilization, and long-term surveillance and maintenance of nuclear-related installations, and sites. The target audience for this effort is the membership of the Division, the Society, and the public at large.
Meeting Spotlight
2025 ANS Annual Conference
June 15–18, 2025
Chicago, IL|Chicago Marriott 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!
Latest Magazine Issues
Jun 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
July 2025
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Smarter waste strategies: Helping deliver on the promise of advanced nuclear
At COP28, held in Dubai in 2023, a clear consensus emerged: Nuclear energy must be a cornerstone of the global clean energy transition. With electricity demand projected to soar as we decarbonize not just power but also industry, transport, and heat, the case for new nuclear is compelling. More than 20 countries committed to tripling global nuclear capacity by 2050. In the United States alone, the Department of Energy forecasts that the country’s current nuclear capacity could more than triple, adding 200 GW of new nuclear to the existing 95 GW by mid-century.
Keynotes Session
Tuesday, August 22, 2023|8:00–8:50AM EDT|Columbia 11/12
Session Chair:
Stephen Bajorek (USNRC)
Yasir Arafat is an accomplished nuclear engineer and a pioneer in microreactor technology who has made significant contributions to the development of advanced reactors. Mr. Arafat has 13 years of experience leading and executing nuclear research and development, primarily in advanced reactors, including designing and developing the Westinghouse AP1000®, Westinghouse SMR, fusion power plant, creating and leading eVinci & DeVinci microreactors at Westinghouse and DOE's MARVEL test microreactor at INL. As the Chief Designer and Project Lead of the MARVEL project, he has played a key role in the creation of the first advanced reactor to be built in the United States in 50 years.
Under his leadership, the MARVEL test microreactor became the first reactor to achieve NEPA compliance through an Environmental Assessment and successfully undergo procurement and construction phases. Yasir is also one of the national Technical Area Leads for the Department of Energy Microreactor Program and serves as the subject matter expert for microreactors at the Nuclear Science and Technology Directorate at Idaho National Laboratory. He is a technical advisor to the Fission Battery Initiative.
Yasir specializes in leading complex engineering projects, reactor design & licensing, model-based systems engineering, advanced manufacturing, thermodynamic process modeling/simulation, agile product development, and innovation strategy. He has developed a novel Agile hardware development process that enabled the rapid development of nuclear reactor systems. He is also skilled in the techno-economic evaluation and led a pioneering effort in collaboration with the automotive industry to generate a microreactor factory manufacturing cost curve based on manufacturing MARVEL's 3800+ parts.
He has been granted 11 patents and three provisional patents in reactor technology, with an additional four patent applications currently under review. Mr. Arafat's contributions to the field of nuclear energy have been critical to the development of advanced reactors and have cemented his reputation as a leading microreactor expert in the industry.
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