Drew Thomas
Manager
Innovative Nuclear Research Integration Office

Abstract

NEUP’s Integrated Research Project (IRP) initiative launched in 2011 to enhance DOE’s university research portfolio with large, multi-disciplinary projects that address major technical gaps and challenges in Office of Nuclear Energy related research areas. This presentation is a retrospective look at several major IRP projects, their structure and technical approach, and their overall scientific impact. Two long-term projects will be highlighted including a set of projects led by MIT and University of California, Berkeley that advanced the Fluoride Salt-Cooled High Temperature Reactor now being developed within the advanced reactor community, and a set of projects led by University of Michigan that seek to advance materials qualification for nuclear applications using ion irradiation techniques.

Biography

Drew Thomas manages the Innovative Nuclear Research Integration Office at Idaho National Laboratory. In his role, he manages the Nuclear Energy University Program and University Nuclear Leadership Program on behalf of the Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy (NE). The Integration Office also supports other competitively funded NE activities including the Small Business Innovation in Research program, the Office of Technology Transitions Technology Commercialization Fund, among others. He has been with the Integration Office since 2011 and, since that time, has supported programs that have funded more than $850 million in university-led research and development, infrastructure, and student support to more than 100 different universities across the United States. Drew is a known leader in nuclear energy education and has chaired the Conference on Nuclear Training and Education since 2017. He currently acts at the Vice-Chair for the American Nuclear Society’s Scholarship Policy and Coordination Committee.

Thursday, September 21. 2023
4:00 pm seminar

zoom link upon request

Room 1202 Burlington Labs