The US News & World Report released their 2024 rankings and the nuclear engineering graduate program at NC State University ranked 3^rd. It is the 6^th year in a row for this placement among 25+ programs. The department is the only stand-alone program in the U.S. Southeast and part of the driving force for nuclear science and engineering nationally and internationally.

Twenty-seven (27) tenured/tenure-track faculty members along with three (3) research/teaching professors prepare the next generation of undergraduate and graduate students. The graduate program includes an accelerated bachelor-master program, a master of science and master of nuclear engineering, a doctoral degree and a growing set of graduate certificates – nuclear nonproliferation science and policy, health physics, and They also contribute to research foci and cross-cutting areas in reactor systems engineering, radiation interactions & detection, plasma science & engineering, nuclear fuel & materials, modelling & simulation, nuclear waste management, nuclear security & non-proliferation, nuclear reactor program, and health physics. The 1-MW PULSTAR research reactor is a UNC Board of Governor’s Center.

Highlights include,

• Two of twelve recent American Nuclear Society (ANS) Fellows include Dr. John Mattingly, professor and university faculty scholar and alumnus Dr. G. Ivan Maldonado.
• The highest recognition at NC State University – the Alexander Quarles Holladay Medal for Excellence award – was awarded to Dr. K.L Murty, Progress Energy Distinguished Professor. He is one of four faculty to receive this medal in 2024 and the 2^nd in the Department.
• At the end of the annual conference this June 2024, Professor Lisa Marshall became the American Nuclear Society president. Alumnus Harsh Desai enters his 2^nd term as ANS treasurer and ten other faculty, graduate student, alumni, postdoctoral scholar, and advisory board member assumed leadership roles.
• $3 million was received from the State of North Carolina for an on-campus advanced research reactor feasibility study.
• Seven S. Department of Energy Consolidated Innovative Nuclear Research (CINR) awards for 2024-25 are being led, co-led, or include NC State Nuclear Engineering faculty.  Their participation contributes to more than $19.1 million to support nuclear energy research and development, university nuclear infrastructure, and undergraduate and graduate education.
• S. Department of Energy (DOE) University Leadership Nuclear Program (UNLP) awarded 6 scholarships and 2 fellowships. These awards are among the most prestigious nationally.
• $2.1 million U.S. DOE grant for neutral beam injectors in fusion research
• S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) grant on hydrogen sensors for enhanced safety of nuclear facilities
• NC State’s portion of $2.2 million from the U.S. DOE NNSA Consortium for Nuclear Forensics(University of Florida-led)
• $1 million U.S. DOE R&D Award on real-time molten salt monitoring with INL & Copenhagen Atomics
• $1 million funding from the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) PSAAP-III for partnership in Exascale Monte Carlo Neutron Transport (CEMeNT) led by OSU
• $2 million U.S. DOE Consent-based Siting for Interim Storage Consortium (1 of 12 awards)

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