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I work in the analytical labs at one of Europe’s oldest and largest nuclear sites: Sellafield, in northwestern England. I spend my days at the fume hood front, pipette in one hand and radiation probe in the other (and dosimeter pinned to my chest, of course). Outside the lab, I have a second job: I moonlight as a writer and public speaker. My new popular science book—Going Nuclear: How the Atom Will Save the World—came out last summer, and it feels like my life has been running at full power ever since.

Anna Bradford has been named the new head of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. NRC Chair Ho Nieh called Bradford “a superb candidate to lead the team that oversees the safety of our nuclear reactor operating fleet. We are eager to have someone of her experience both here and abroad back at the NRC.” Her appointment will become effective in May.

Jeremy Bowen will head the newly created Office of Advanced Reactors when it launches in September, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced Monday.

This new office will license and oversee new and advanced reactors. In his role, Bowen will be responsible for the review of advanced reactor applications—reviews that the NRC said will be “expeditious.”

The 2026 American Nuclear Society election is now open. Members can vote for the Society’s next vice president/president-elect as well as six board members (five U.S. directors and one non-U.S. director). Completed ballots must be submitted by 12:00 p.m. (CDT) on Wednesday, April 1, 2026.

All ANS members have been emailed a unique access key from third-party election vendor ElectionBuddy. Each member can use their access key to vote once, and each vote will remain anonymous. Visit secure.electionbuddy.com/ballot to vote.

Mirion Technologies has announced three senior leadership appointments designed to support its global nuclear and medical businesses while advancing a company-wide digital and AI strategy. The leadership changes come as Mirion seeks to advance innovation and maintain strong performance in nuclear energy, radiation safety, and medical applications.

Each year, the American Nuclear Society awards the Glenn T. Seaborg Congressional Science and Engineering Fellowship to two members. Those recipients then spend a year in Washington, D.C., contributing to the federal policymaking process by working in either a U.S. senator’s or representative’s personal office or with a congressional committee.

It has been nearly six months since the 2025 Congressional Fellows provided their midterm updates on their time on the Hill. Now, as their fellowships draw to their close, Jacob Christensen and Mike Woosley are looking back on what they accomplished, what they learned, and much more.

Nieh

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is now back up to four commissioners. Following a 66–32 confirmation vote in the U.S. Senate last month, Ho Nieh was officially sworn in last week.

He fills the seat left vacant following the dismissal of Christopher Hanson and is set to serve through the remainder of a term that will expire June 30, 2029.

Quotable: “I am grateful for the opportunity to return to the NRC to work alongside such a competent and dedicated workforce," said Nieh, in the NRC’s press release announcing his being sworn in. "This agency shaped my career and my commitment to nuclear safety. It is an incredible honor to have been appointed by President Trump to serve on the Commission, and I look forward to serving alongside Chairman Wright, Commissioner Crowell, and Commissioner Marzano. I am energized by the opportunities the NRC has to enable the safe use of nuclear technologies for America during this pivotal period in its history.”

Candidates have officially been named to fill six ANS leadership positions with terms beginning in June 2026. Candidates for the one-year term as vice president/president-elect will succeed Mark Peters, who will in turn succeed Hash Hashemian as current ANS president.

Nieh

Earlier today, the U.S. Senate officially confirmed Ho Nieh in a 66–32 vote to serve as a commissioner on the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission through the remainder of a term that will expire June 30, 2029. All present Republicans, alongside 15 Democrats and one Independent, cast their votes in favor of Nieh, who was nominated by President Trump in July and fills the seat left vacant following the dismissal of former commissioner Christopher Hanson.

NRC details: The commission leading the NRC now comprises four members. Nieh joins Chair David Wright and commissioners Bradley Crowell and Matthew Marzano. One spot remains unfilled after the resignation of Annie Caputo in July. President Trump nominated Douglas Weaver earlier this month to fill Caputo’s seat.

Last year, we proudly launched the inaugural Nuclear News 40 Under 40 list to shine a spotlight on the exceptional young professionals driving the nuclear sector forward as the nuclear community faces a dramatic generational shift. We weren’t sure how a second list would go over, but once again, our members resoundingly answered the call, confirming what we already knew: The nuclear community is bursting with vision, talent, and extraordinary dedication.

One of the privileges of being president of the American Nuclear Society is awarding Presidential Citations to individuals who have demonstrated outstanding effort in some manner for the benefit of ANS or the nuclear community at large. Citations are conferred twice each year, at the Annual and Winter Meetings.

ANS President Hash Hashemian has named this season’s recipients, who will receive recognition at the upcoming 2025 Winter Conference & Expo in Washington, D.C.

Following the enthusiastic response from the nuclear community in 2024 for the inaugural NN 40 Under 40, the Nuclear News team knew we had to take up the difficult task in 2025 of turning it into an annual event—though there was plenty of uncertainty as to how the community would receive a second iteration this year. That uncertainty was unfounded, clearly, as the tight-knit nuclear community embraced the chance to celebrate its up-and-coming generation of scientists, engineers, and policy makers who are working to grow the influence of this oft-misunderstood technology.

Wald

Matt Wald, an independent energy analyst and a writer who contributes to the Breakthrough Institute and has written feature articles for Nuclear News, recently shared his nuclear perspectives in a Zoom talk with Friends of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering ORNL’s scientific goals.

Missed opportunity: Wald, a former reporter for The New York Times and a former policy analyst for the Nuclear Energy Institute, feels that the nuclear industry and community “have committed industrial sin. Nuclear suffered through a long drought, and now it sees terrific demand for its product, and it’s not ready to deliver the needed electricity.”

Hoffman

Nuclear chemist Darleane D. Hoffman, who was renowned for her research on transuranium elements that advanced the understanding of nuclear fission, died on September 4 at her home in Menlo Park, Calif. She was 98.

Iowa origins: Hoffman was born on November 8, 1926, in Terril, Ia. She attended Iowa State University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1948 and a doctorate in physical (or nuclear) chemistry in 1951. She then began working as a chemist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Los Alamos research: In 1953, Hoffman began a research position at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where she conducted pioneering work on spontaneous fission. She served as the lab’s first female division leader in charge of the Chemistry and Nuclear Chemistry Division.

Nieh

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold a nomination hearing Wednesday for Ho Nieh, President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as a commissioner at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Trump nominated Nieh on July 30 to serve as NRC commissioner the remainder of a term that will expire June 30, 2029, as Nuclear NewsWire previously reported.

Nieh has been vice president of regulatory affairs at Southern Nuclear since 2021, though since June 2024 he has been at the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations as a loaned executive.

A return to the NRC: If confirmed by the Senate, Nieh would be returning to the NRC after three previous stints totaling nearly 20 years.

One constant at the American Nuclear Society’s national meetings is the recognition of exceptional individuals in the nuclear community. ANS President Hash Hashemian has named this season’s national award recipients. These awards will be presented next month at the upcoming Winter Conference and Expo in Washington, D.C. The recipients of awards from the Society’s professional divisions, alongside Presidential Citations and the Nuclear Historic Landmark Award, will be announced soon.

Kock

Andrea Kock was named director of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Office of Nuclear Materials Safety and Safeguards.

Kock was previously the Region I administrator in King of Prussia, Pa., and had been serving recently as temporary head of the NMSS.

NMSS licenses and regulates the facilities and materials associated with the processing, transport, and handling of nuclear materials, including uranium recovery activities and the fuel used in commercial nuclear reactors. The office also implements the NRC’s Agreement State program; liaises with American Indian tribal governments; and supports agency rulemaking, environmental review, and financial assurance projects.

A new career guide for the nuclear energy industry is now available: The Nuclear Empowered Workforce by Earnestine Johnson. Drawing on more than 30 years of experience across 16 nuclear facilities, Johnson offers a practical, insightful look into some of the many career paths available in commercial nuclear power. To mark the release, Johnson sat down with Nuclear News for a wide-ranging conversation about her career, her motivation for writing the book, and her advice for the next generation of nuclear professionals.

When Johnson began her career at engineering services company Stone & Webster, she entered a field still reeling from the effects of the Three Mile Island incident in 1979, nearly 15 years earlier. Her hiring cohort was the first group of new engineering graduates the company had brought on since TMI, a reflection of the industry-wide pause in nuclear construction. Her first long-term assignment—at the Millstone site in Waterford, Conn., helping resolve design issues stemming from TMI—marked the beginning of a long and varied career that spanned positions across the country.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission recently announced that David Wright, after being nominated by President Trump and confirmed by the Senate, was ceremonially sworn in as NRC chair on September 8.

This swearing in comes more than a month after Wright began his third term on the commission; he began leading as chair July 31. His term will conclude on June 30, 2030.

Rhoades

Mudrick

Longtime nuclear industry executive Chris Mudrick has been named the new chief nuclear officer at Constellation Energy, effective September 29. He will take over the position from Dave Rhoades, who is retiring from the role.

History: Mudrick has been Constellation’s senior vice president of generation growth since December 2024, a position that marked his return to the company after serving as executive vice president and CNO at Bruce Power in Ontario, Canada, for more than four years. Prior to joining Bruce Power, Mudrick was at Constellation/Exelon for more than 32 years, ending his time there as senior vice president of operations–East and chief operating officer. He began his career with the company as a nuclear power plant operator in Pennsylvania in 1987.