UF Nuclear Engineering Program

Welcome to the University of Florida Nuclear Engineering Program home page. Housed within the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering’s Department of Materials Science & Engineering, the program offers students an opportunity to work on research teams related to backscatter radiation, extreme environments testing and nuclear fuel cycles. Students also conduct research alongside academics and in partnership with national labs and government agencies, including Idaho National Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy.

At UF, we’re developing the next generation of nuclear engineering leaders by performing high-impact research and providing exceptional educational programs. We build on our unique strength as a department by combining the disciplines of both Nuclear Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering to benefit society locally, nationally and globally.

Faculty Research Areas

Nuclear technology and research contribute in multiple ways to our health, development and safety. You may not realize it, but it's utilized across nearly all aspects of our lives and community, from clean energy production to medicine to agriculture.

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Research Facilities

The Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering’s Research Service Centers support and enhance the research, education, and public service missions of the University of Florida by providing access to characterization and process instrumentation.

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Why Nuclear Engineering at UF?

At UF, we’re developing the next generation of nuclear engineering leaders by performing high-impact research and providing exceptional educational programs.

Find Out More Nuclear Engineering Program

Faculty Research Areas

Nuclear technology and research contribute in multiple ways to our health, development and safety. You may not realize it, but it's utilized across nearly all aspects of our lives and community, from clean energy production to medicine to agriculture.

Find Out MoreNuclear Engineering Program

Nuclear Engineering Faculty

Photo of Jyothier Nimmagadda

Jyothier Nimmagadda

Research Assistant ScientistNuclear Engineering Program

Work UFTR 557 Work Phone: (352) 294-2102

Biography

Ph.D., 2015, Idaho State University
 
Research Interests: Reactor Physics Experiments, Non-destructive radiation imaging, Monte-Carlo Methods, Pre and Post Irradiation Analysis, Medical Imaging, Radiation Detection

 

Other Nuclear Engineering Program News

  • MSE Alumnus Ricardo Perez Elected to PSEG, Inc. Board of Directors

    01/26/2024

    MSE Alumnus Ricardo Perez Elected to PSEG, Inc. Board of Directors

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  • UF-led group develops new tools to track illicit nuclear materials

    12/12/2023

    A visibly nervous man is stopped at a border crossing in eastern Europe. Authorities find a glass tube filled with black powder inside a heavy lead container in his trunk. Geiger counters go crazy. The powder is radioactive.
    North Korea conducts a nuclear test and within hours U.S. “sniffer” planes scramble to gather air samples off ...

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  • Next-Generation Nuclear Energy: Crafting the Future with Innovative Fuel Designs 

    12/07/2023

    As the world grapples with the need for carbon-free power generation, advanced reactor designs are crucial to the transition. A Department of Energy (DOE) Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP)-funded investigation into the behavior of U-Zr annular fuel will not only address uncertainties in advanced reactor designs but also contribute to the broader goal of establishing ...

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  • Dr. Kyle Hartig Receives INMM Early Career Award, Joint Appointment with Savannah River National Lab

    08/14/2023

    Kyle C. Hartig, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Nuclear Engineering Program within the Department of Materials Science & Engineering, continues to set the standard in the field of nuclear materials security.  
    The Institute of Nuclear Materials Management (INMM) has recognized Dr. Hartig with its 2023 Early Career Award presented at its 53rd annual meeting in Vienna, ...

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  • 3D Printing the Next Generation of Nuclear Power Plant Components

    06/13/2023

    Light Water Reactors (LWRs) are the most widely used type of nuclear reactor in the world. However, as alternative designs continue to emerge and gain traction, they may represent the future of clean power generation.  
    One of those designs, the Molten Salt Reactor (MSR), uses a liquid mixture of salts as both a coolant and fuel ...

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  • Top-tier Excellence: UF MSE and NE Graduate Programs Continue to Shine Among the Best in the Nation

    04/28/2023

    The UF Department of Materials Science & Engineering (MSE) and the UF Nuclear Engineering Program (NE), housed within the department, continue their stay among the best-ranked graduate school programs at public universities in the U.S. 
    The 2024 U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools rankings among U.S. public universities place the MSE graduate program at ...

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  • Assel Aitkaliyeva Selected as UF Doctoral Dissertation Advisor/Mentor Award Winner

    02/03/2023

    Congratulations to Assel Aitkaliyeva, Ph.D., recipient of the 2022-2023 Doctoral Dissertation Advisor/Mentoring Award from the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering. Dr. Aitkaliyeva is an associate professor in the Nuclear Engineering Program housed within the Department of Materials Science & Engineering. 
    “Advising and mentoring graduate students, from recruiting and guiding them through the first challenging year of ...

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  • Nuclear Sleuths: University of Florida to Lead $25 million National Consortium on Nuclear Forensics

    02/03/2023

    For decades, the United States has been at the forefront of reducing the number of nuclear arms worldwide and curtailing the spread of illicit atomic-based technology. It has also led the way in developing the advanced nuclear forensics capabilities needed to bolster this effort. But to extend the U.S.’s ongoing nuclear nonproliferation and security capabilities, ...

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  • UF Engineering Collaboration Aims to Add Decades of Safe, Clean Energy Production to U.S. Nuclear Reactors

    07/27/2022

    Engineers from UF’s Department of Materials Science & Engineering (MSE) and the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) are collaborating on research investigating neutron irradiation-induced embrittlement in nuclear reactor pressure vessels.
    Douglas Spearot, Ph.D., professor of MAE and principal investigator, and Assel Aitkaliyeva, Ph.D., associate professor of MSE, are part of the $800,000 study. Along ...

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  • Andrew, Aitkaliyeva Receive Promotions

    06/30/2022

    Jennifer Andrew, Ph.D., has been promoted to full professor, and Assel Aitkaliyeva, Ph.D., has been promoted to Associate Professor with tenure.
     
    Dr. Andrew received her Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Barbara and her B.S. from Northwestern University, both in Materials Science and Engineering. She joined the University of Florida in 2011 following a postdoctoral ...

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