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Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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Aug 2026
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Nuclear Science and Engineering
October 2026
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September 2026
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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.
International High Level Radioactive Waste Management (IHLRWM 2025)
Irina Gaus was appointed Head of the Department of Optimisation and Member of the Executive Board at Nagra in January 2023. From 2016 to 2024, she led Nagra’s Research and Development Programme, supporting the General Licence Application submitted in November 2024. She joined Nagra in 2007, after research positions at the French Geological Survey (BRGM) on carbon storage and aquifer management, and at the British Geological Survey as a hydrogeologist.
Her expertise spans radioactive waste disposal, optimisation, RD&D management, safety case development, and subsurface processes. She has published over 50 peer-reviewed papers.
Irina is currently Chief Scientific Officer of EURAD2 – the European Partnership on Radioactive Waste Management and was Chair of the Implementing Geological Disposal Technology Platform (2019–2022). She holds a PhD and MSc in Hydrogeology from the University of Ghent (Belgium).
Last modified October 7, 2025, 9:09am EDT
