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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
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2026
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Nuclear Science and Engineering
October 2026
Nuclear Technology
September 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
August 2026
Latest News
Center for Used Fuel Research: Building confidence in storage and transport
Used nuclear fuel storage and transportation have reached a critical juncture.
Dozens of utilities need reliable data on how used nuclear fuel performs in dry storage casks and canisters to extend regulatory licenses at sites across the United States. Likewise, the Department of Energy expects to take ownership of the used nuclear fuel—termed “spent nuclear fuel” in the laws and regulations governing its stewardship—and transfer it to one or more federal staging facilities for management and disposition.
Meanwhile, dozens of reactor companies are testing prototypes of advanced reactors and advanced reactor fuels. Eventually, regulators and industry must also verify the safety and security of storage methods for these advanced fuel types.
To help address these challenges, the DOE established the Center for Used Fuel Research (CUFR) in January 2026 for work related to the long-term storage and transport of used nuclear fuel.
2024 ANS Student Conference
Dr. Martin Nieto-Perez is an Associate Teaching Professor at the Ken and Mary Alice Department of Nuclear Engineering. Martin received his BS (1997) in Chemical Engineering from Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana in Mexico City, and a MS (2001) and PhD (2004) in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. After his PhD he held a postdoctoral appointment at Argonne National Laboratory between 2004 and 2006. Between 2008 and 2021 he was professor/researcher at CICATA, one of the research units of Instituto Politecnico Nacional in Queretaro, Mexico. Martin’s research focuses on two main thrusts: plasma-material interactions in both high and low temperature plasmas, and neutronics and kinetic modeling/design relevant to the insertion of fusion-based neutron sources in the nuclear fuel cycle both in the front-end (as fissile material breeders) and the back end (actinide burners, spent fuel regenerators).
Last modified March 29, 2024, 12:13pm EDT
