National Nuclear Security Administration awards $27.5 million to Cornell, Notre Dame researchers

The Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) awarded research grants totaling $27.5 million to researchers at Cornell University and the University of Notre Dame, NNSA announced this week.

The researchers will receive the funds the Stewardship Science Academic Alliances (SSAA) Centers of Excellence program for their efforts regarding High Energy Density Physics and Radiochemistry.

“These grants insure a pipeline of the next generation of scientists in areas of relevance to the stockpile stewardship mission,” said Kathleen Alexander, assistant deputy administrator for research, development, test, and evaluation in NNSA’s Office of Defense Programs.

NNSA will provide $15 million to Cornell’s Multi-University Center of Excellence for Pulsed-Power-Driven High Energy Density Science to study high energy density plasmas generated by pulsed power generators. This research, led by David Hammer and Bruce Kusse, will examine the properties of dense, high-temperature plasmas in the presence of strong magnetic fields.

The agency will provide $12.5 million to Notre Dame’s Actinide Center of Excellence for research in nuclear chemistry and radioactive materials through the integration of physical experiments and computer simulation, led by Peter Burns.

Established in 2002, the SSAA program supports fundamental research and development related to NNSA’s stockpile stewardship mission and aims to recruit the next generation of technical scientists and engineers for the Nuclear Security Enterprise.