After more than four decades of military, federal, and academic leadership in nuclear engineering, Dr. Glenn Sjoden will retire this summer as the EnergySolutions Foundation Presidential Endowed Chair in Nuclear Engineering and Director of the Utah Nuclear Engineering Program (UNEP) in the John and Marcia Price College of Engineering.

Since joining the University of Utah in 2019, Dr. Sjoden has brought remarkable vision and dedication to a small program that continues to punch well above its weight. Under his leadership, UNEP strengthened its reputation for excellence in nuclear education, research, and service.

With a wide range of job titles—U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel, chief scientist at the Air Force Technical Applications Center, and Professor—Dr. Sjoden’s career has carried one major motif: team-based success.

“It can’t be all about you—it’s about the team,” he often reminds colleagues. That collaborative mindset guided his work at the U, where he prioritized not just scientific progress, but also investment in students, infrastructure, and colleagues.

He led a major overhaul of the university’s nuclear research reactor, expanded the program’s capacity to train nuclear engineers in medical isotope production and reactor operations, and mentored a generation of students who now contribute to critical national laboratories and energy institutions across the country, including Los Alamos National Lab and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Thanks to support from the EnergySolutions Foundation and Dr. Sjoden’s strategic leadership, the program has made high-impact investments in research personnel and facilities.

Just in time to cap off his career, Dr. Sjoden has been recognized with one of the field’s most prestigious honors by being elected a Fellow of the American Nuclear Society (ANS), the Society’s highest membership grade. Reserved for a select group of professionals, ANS Fellowship signifies outstanding leadership in nuclear engineering education and research. He will be formally recognized at the 2025 ANS Annual Conference in June, 2025.

Another distinction Glenn received while at the University of Utah was being elected a UtahAES member. In June 2024, he was inducted into the Utah Academy of Engineering and Science (UtahAES)—joining an elite group of just 80 living members that includes former Price College of Engineering Dean Richard B. Brown.

In retirement, Glenn is excited to focus on consulting, time with family, and an unexpected lifelong dream—flying helicopters. After being told during his Air Force career that poor vision would keep him grounded, Dr. Sjoden has logged many hours in the cockpit in recent years, working toward his helicopter pilot license thanks to corrective eye surgery. Having spent a career helping students and colleagues soar, Dr. Sjoden now takes to the skies himself, leaving behind a program ready to rise even higher.

Glenn leaves us having recently positioned the program for upward momentum: After an extensive search, chaired by Dr. Sjoden, himself, we are excited to announce that Dr. Supathorn (Supy) Phongikaroon, a widely respected figure in the nuclear engineering field, will be replacing Dr. Sjoden as the Director of the Utah Nuclear Engineering Program and EnergySolutions Endowed Chair. More to come soon on this exciting next chapter.

by Joe LaFata