Nuclear energy:
fission and fusion

These efforts expand on 75 years of pioneering research and education in both fission systems and the plasma science that enables fusion. From the nation’s first nuclear engineering degree program, we’ve built one of the largest U.S. departments of its kind, with world-class, national lab-grade facilities, an engaged, interdisciplinary curriculum, and a rapidly growing alumni base making critical contributions to nuclear research and real-world implementation on multiple fronts. Across the College of Engineering, researchers are advancing knowledge and technology for nuclear energy in critical areas such as materials, grid integration, fuel reprocessing approaches and radiation detection. They’re also collaborating on impactful applications, including with the shipping industry.

The University of Michigan played a key role in establishing the field of nuclear engineering and shaping its identity in the wake of World War II. Its bold Michigan Memorial Phoenix Project was established in 1948 to advance peaceful uses of nuclear technology. The Phoenix Project gave rise to the nation’s first nuclear engineering degree program in 1952 and one of the earliest university-based nuclear reactors. 

The Ford Nuclear Reactor operated from 1957 to 2003 and enabled groundbreaking research and education. It advanced fission reactor science, materials degradation research and safety validation work, for example. And it gave students hands-on training in reactor startup procedures, control rod calibration, neutron flux measurements, and system dynamics relevant to the pressurized‑water reactors typically used in power plants. 

Nobel laureates Gérard Mourou and Donald Glaser spent decades of their careers at U-M. Mourou’s chirped-pulse amplification laser technique enabled recent plasma science and fusion energy breakthroughs. And Glaser’s bubble chamber revealed the nuclear interactions fundamental to reactor science.

Over the years, U-M research has illuminated the long-term effects of radiation on reactor materials, informing U.S. inspection guidelines and helping to safely extend the lives of aging reactors. Faculty have made important contributions in nuclear fuel recycling and waste minimization as well.