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Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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Nuclear Science and Engineering
August 2026
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NN Asks: Is the U.S. ready for nuclear construction to accelerate?
Craig Stover
Yes, but . . .
The United States is better positioned today for nuclear construction than it has been in decades. Some of that comes from the experience gained at Vogtle and V.C. Summer. I was part of the team that helped start the V.C. Summer project in 2008, and at that time we were trying to build a nuclear construction workforce from scratch. We learned a lot through that effort, and many of those lessons learned have since been studied, documented, and shared.
The nuclear industry is also benefiting from the wave of investment that started growing around 2020. Over the last five or six years, there has been a serious effort across the country to get ready for new nuclear builds. The U.S. government and the private sector are investing billions of dollars in new nuclear. Much of that work is happening before widespread commercial deployment contracts are signed. This is real, and we need to prepare.
2024 ANS Winter Conference and Expo
Dr. Rian Bahran currently serves as Assistant Director for Nuclear Technology and Strategy in The White House Office of Science & Technology Policy (OSTP) leading policy development and providing advice to the President and the Executive Office of the President on issues related to nuclear energy and fusion energy, security, and emerging technology. One of his main focus areas has been in helping lead efforts to re-establish U.S. leadership in nuclear energy. This includes prioritizing initiatives to deploy flexible and versatile small modular reactors and microreactors, secure and sustain the nuclear fuel supply chain, enhance the energy resilience of critical infrastructure, and compete globally. Dr. Bahran received a PhD in Nuclear Engineering & Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) based on research in support of the U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program and Laboratory research complex. He also has a Dual BS in Nuclear Engineering & Engineering Physics from RPI and began his career at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). He later served as a program manager and R&D Engineer in the Nuclear Engineering Division at LANL where, in 2018, he was a recipient of the prestigious “Most Promising Asian Engineer of the Year.” Dr. Bahran also served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy as a Senior Science and Policy Adviser from 2019 to 2021. In 2021, For his exemplary performance during his time at the Pentagon, he received the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service. Dr. Bahran has held several adjunct faculty university positions within nuclear engineering programs and has lectured at 25+ universities; was 2020 Fellow of the MIT Seminar XXI national security program; served as an associate editor of the Journal for Nuclear Materials Management; and is the author of 65+ publications (including in Nature Communications) on a wide range of technical nuclear issues.
Last modified October 29, 2024, 10:09am EDT
