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Nuclear Engineering at the University of Utah
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Innovations in Treating Alzheimer’s Disease: Bender and Mastren Featured in Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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Welcome Dr. Vince Wang to the Utah Nuclear Engineering Program!
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Research Enhancing National Security
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Student-led Research Making a Difference: Targeted Alpha Therapy to Fight Alzheimer’s Disease
Utah Nuclear Engineering Program (UNEP)
Utah's Only Nuclear Engineering Program
Housed within the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UNEP has developed a Nuclear Engineering curriculum that fills critical educational and competency gaps for engineers and scientists involved in the nuclear power and radioactive waste industries, nuclear medicine, homeland security, radiation safety, and nuclear materials detection.
In addition to an extensive research program, UNEP offers an undergraduate minor and two graduate degrees:
A UNEP Researcher in the CAZRAD Lab
About Us
UNEP is responsible for educating the next generation workforce in critical nuclear engineering fields and developing innovative procedures and technologies for the advancement of nuclear applications.
Our curriculum is designed for engineers and scientists involved in the nuclear power and radioactive waste industries, nuclear medicine, homeland security, radiation safety, and nuclear materials detection.
Explore what our professors specialize in: Meet the Professors→
Mission
Our mission is to provide outstanding educational and research training that prepares students for rewarding careers and leadership positions in the development and application of nuclear processes, instrumentation, and nuclear systems while insuring proper safeguards essential for maximizing the societal benefits of nuclear energy and radioactive materials. Using our TRIGA Nuclear Research Reactor as a core training and educational facility, UNEP’s overarching goal is to continually make strides in the advancement of multidisciplinary nuclear-related fields such as
- actinide synthesis,
- electronics nesting,
- energy,
- medical isotope production,
- nuclear forensics,
- nuclear safeguards,
- and radiation detection.
The University of Utah's TRIGA Nuclear Reactor
About Our Nuclear Reactor
The University of Utah is one of the few institutions in the nation that houses its own nuclear reactor, right here on campus. We've been conducting research and training on the TRIGA reactor since 1975. TRIGA stands for Training, Research, Isotopes General Atomics. There are currently only 35 TRIGA reactors operating in the world, with 17 in the United States.
Having our own nuclear reactor enables us to conduct research for nuclear medicine, nuclear forensics, radiation detection, and more.
Nuclear News
Top-20 Program Builder Named Director of Nuclear Engineering Program
We are pleased to announce that Dr. Supathorn (Supy) Phongikaroon, a highly respected figure in the nuclear engineering field, will join the University of Utah as the EnergySolutions Foundation Presidential Endowed Chair in Nuclear Engineering and Director of the Utah Nuclear Engineering Program.
Dr. Mastren's Research on Alzheimer's Disease Earns $100K from its prestigious Mars Shot Fund
The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) has awarded Dr. Mastren and her team $100,000 from its prestigious Mars Shot Fund, which supports bold, potentially game-changing ideas in nuclear medicine.
Using Targeted Alpha Therapy to Fight Alzheimer’s Disease
Ph.D. candidate Cametrius Warren's research project, “Targeted Alpha Therapy for the Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease,” recently earned her a prestigious grant from the Society of Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging (SNMMI).
How Dr. Glenn Sjoden Elevated Nuclear Engineering at Utah—and Set It on Course for New Heights
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.
Nuclear Detective: U of U Professor’s Research is Enhancing National Security
Supported by a $400,000 grant from the National Nuclear Security Administration, Dr. Ed Cazalas will leverage the unique properties of 2-D materials and quantum dots to enhance radiation detection. The research will investigate how 2-D materials and quantum dots respond to nuclear radiation.
Innovative Alzheimer’s Treatment Developed at the U Featured in Journal of Nuclear Medicine
Dr. Aidan Bender, a UNEP Ph.D. graduate, spearheaded pioneering research on Alzheimer’s disease. His remarkable work is being published in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine, the premier journal in the field.