Shaping U.S. Nuclear Policy: Overview of the ANS Congressional Fellowship Program

Emily Caffrey is the Program Director and an Assistant Professor for the University of Alabama at Birmingham Master's in Health Physics Program. She has a BS in Nuclear Engineering and a PhD in Radiation Health Physics and Statistics from Oregon State University.

Caffrey served as one of the American Nuclear Society 2024 Congressional Fellows under Senator Whitehouse on the Senate Budget Committee. She is the youngest elected member of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements and achieved the title of Certified Health Physicist in 2021.

In addition to her day job, Emily serves as the Ask-The-Experts editor for the HPS, where the public can ask radiation related questions and get answers from experts in the field.

Joseph is a Professional Staff Member covering energy R&D policy within the Science, Space, and Technology Committee. He completed an ANS Congressional Fellowship in Senator Whitehouse’s Office.

He joined ANS in 2016 and is a 2023 ANS Congressional Fellow. Joseph attended North Carolina State University, where he received his BS in nuclear engineering in 2016 and his MS in mechanical engineering in 2019. Before that, he spent his early career in the nuclear industry in 2016 with GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy, working across several technical disciplines including mechanical and safety analysis, while staying connected to the nuclear community through ANS and North American Young Generation of Nuclear local sections.

In his current role at INL, Brad serves as an expert on a range of issues related to the technical, economic and policy aspects of nuclear energy. He is also a very active ANS member, serving as Vice Chair for the Public Policy Committee and a member of the External Affairs Committee, Congressional Fellow Program Special Committee, and the Nuclear Waste Task Force.

Brad was previously detailed to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, where Brad covered the Committee’s nuclear energy and science policy portfolios for Ranking Member John Barrasso (R-WY). Brad moved to the Energy Committee after serving as an ANS Glenn T. Seaborg Congressional Science and Engineering Fellow in 2020, covering nuclear regulatory issues for then Chairman Barrasso on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

Before joining INL, Brad spent twelve years with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy, most recently as Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy. Brad previously served as Team Lead for Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies and Nuclear Energy University Programs. He also managed multiple programs within the Office of Fuel Cycle Research and Development and spent time as the Acting Assistant Manager for Research and Development at the Idaho Operations Office.

During his time with the Department of Energy, Brad received four Secretary of Energy Awards. Prior to the Department of Energy, Brad worked for Science Applications International Corporation in support of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, where he was the project manager for the Strategic Nuclear Arms Elimination program.

Brad received his bachelor’s degree in physics from Mary Washington College and master’s degree in physics from Virginia Tech. He lives in Alexandria, VA with his wife and two children.

Harsh has over 17 years of experience in developing and deploying clean energy technologies. In his current capacity as the Chief Commercialization Officer, he is responsible for supply chain, policy and government affairs efforts for Zeno Power.

His past roles include being a senior manager at the Nuclear Energy Institute, Advisor at the U.S. Department of Energy, advisor to the executive leadership of the Naval Nuclear Laboratory, senior nuclear engineer at Knolls Atomic Lab and nuclear engineer at GE. Notably, Harsh served as the ANS Congressional Fellow and Legislative Advisor in the U.S. Senate covering energy, transportation, climate change, and appropriations portfolios.

Harsh has an MBA from New York University’s Stern Business School, along with BS & MS in Nuclear Engineering from NC State University.

Harsh currently serves as ANS Treasurer and a member of the Board of Directors. He is a Non-resident Senior Fellow with the Atlantic Council and serves on the NC State’s Nuclear Engineering Department Advisory Committee.

Harsh enjoys going on adventures, such as chasing tornadoes, being an avid photographer, brewing, and gardening with his mini-me.