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Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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August 2026
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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.
26th Technology of Fusion Energy Meeting (TOFE 2024)
For more than two decades, Dr. Hegna has been a leading advocate of stellarators in the fusion community. At UW-Madison, he directed research initiative aiming to enhance stellarator concept through targeted optimization key plasma physics confinement issues. There, he led the Center for Plasma Theory and Computation for over two decades.
Dr. Hegna's expertise lies in theoretical plasma physics, and he is internationally acknowledged as a specialist in the magnetic confinement of plasmas and nuclear fusion. His academic contributions include authoring or co-authoring over 200 publications and mentoring more than two dozen Ph.D. students at UW-Madison. His academic and professional achievements have been recognized with numerous accolades. He has been honored as a Fellow of the American Physical Society, was a co-recipient of the 2014 John Dawson Award for excellence in plasma physics research, received the Nuclear Fusion Journal Award, and was designated the Harvey P. Spangler of the College of Engineering at UW-Madison. Furthermore, Dr. Hegna has exerted influential community leadership in the international fusion sector, including serving on the DOE’s Fusion Energy Science Advisory Committee.
For more than two decades, Dr. Hegna has been a leading advocate of stellarators in the fusion community. At UW-Madison, he directed a research initiative aiming to enhance the stellarator concept through targeted optimization of key plasma physics confinement issues. At Type One Energy, Dr. Hegna spearheads the Stellarator Physics Optimization Group, serving as the primary driver of the company’s stellarator design.
Last modified April 23, 2024, 10:42am CDT
