ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
Latest Magazine Issues
Mar 2026
Jul 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
March 2026
Nuclear Technology
February 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
April 2026
Latest News
NRC approves TerraPower construction permit
Today, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced that it has approved TerraPower’s construction permit application for Kemmerer Unit 1, the company’s first deployment of Natrium, its flagship sodium fast reactor.
This approval is a significant milestone on three fronts. For TerraPower, it represents another step forward in demonstrating its technology. For the Department of Energy, it reflects progress (despite delays) for the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP). For the NRC, it is the first approval granted to a commercial reactor in nearly a decade—and the first approval of a commercial non–light water reactor in more than 40 years.
20th International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Reactor Thermal Hydraulics (NURETH-20)
Cofounder and Chief Technology Officer
NuScale Power
José N. Reyes, Ph.D., co-founded NuScale Power, LLC, co-designed the NuScale passively-cooled small nuclear reactor and has served as the company’s Chief Technology Officer since 2007. Dr. Reyes is an internationally recognized expert on passive safety system design, testing and operations for nuclear power plants. He has served as a United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency technical expert on passive safety systems, is a co-inventor on more than 180 patents granted or pending in 20 countries and has received several national awards including the 2013 Nuclear Energy Advocate Award, the 2014 American Nuclear Society Thermal Hydraulic Division Technical Achievement Award, the 2017 Nuclear Infrastructure Council Trailblazer Award, the 2021 American Nuclear Society Walter H. Zinn Medal, and 2021 inductee into the University of Maryland Innovators Hall of Fame.
Dr. Reyes is a fellow of the American Nuclear Society (ANS), a NURETH fellow, and a member of the National Academy of Engineering. In the past, he has served as head of the Oregon State University (OSU) Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Health Physics, directed the Advanced Thermal Hydraulic Research Laboratory and was the Co-Director of the Battelle Energy Alliance Academic Center of Excellence for Thermal Fluids and Reactor Safety in support of the Idaho National Laboratory mission.
Dr. Reyes currently serves as a Professor Emeritus in OSU’s School of Nuclear Science and Engineering. He holds Ph.D. and Master of Science degrees in nuclear engineering from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Science degree in nuclear engineering from the University of Florida. He is the author of numerous journal articles and technical reports, and he has given lectures and keynote addresses to professional nuclear organizations in the United States, Europe and Asia. He is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Oregon.
Patents (180 Patents Granted or Pending in 20 Countries):
Keynote Speaking Engagements in 2022:
Last modified August 1, 2023, 10:20am EDT