{style="max-width: 100%; float:right; width:300px; margin:0px 0px 8px 16px"} The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy’s Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF) program awarded 18 Super Rapid Turnaround Experiment projects today that support the deployment of advanced nuclear reactors, fuel cycle development and the continued operation of the nation’s nuclear reactor fleet. These awards provide nuclear energy researchers with timely access to irradiation testing, post-irradiation examination and technical expertise through the NSUF program at no cost. The cost of access to the research capabilities provided to complete this work is approximately $2.7 million. NSUF awarded 18 principal investigators from 11 institutions, including universities, national laboratories and industry. Competitively selected projects encompass a range of nuclear fuels and materials research that will advance next-generation nuclear energy technologies and support long-term performance of the existing reactor fleet. Key materials being studied include metallic fuels, structural alloys, cladding, graphite moderators and sensor materials that could be promising candidates for use in advanced nuclear reactors. These projects have the potential to support nuclear fuels and corrosion-resistant materials for molten salt and advanced reactors, improve structural material resilience to extend reactor lifetimes, increase understanding of irradiation-assisted degradation mechanisms, and develop radiation-tolerant sensing materials. All experiments will examine various properties of materials that have undergone irradiation at various reactors, doses, temperatures, and times, and produced using different manufacturing methods. Researchers will characterize these samples using mechanical testing, microstructural analysis and a range of microscopy and imaging techniques. The Super RTE is a user access award process that offers an avenue for researchers to perform a larger scope of irradiation effects studies (i.e., more samples and more access time) than the traditional RTE award process. Super RTE projects must be completed within 12 months of the award. Click [here](https://nsuf.inl.gov/Home/Projects) to find current and past awards. Learn more about NSUF awards and resources at [nsuf.inl.gov](https://nsuf.inl.gov/) **FY 2026 Super RTE award recipients** | Principal Investigator | Institution | Project Title | | --- | --- | --- | | Arya Chatterjee | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Grain refinement activates grain boundary-mediated deformation in neutron-irradiated HfNbTaTiZr refractory multi-principal element alloys | | Rijul Chauhan | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory | Process-controlled defect engineering in 14YWT ODS alloy: Effect of shear-assisted processing tool RPM on defect state and irradiation response | | Logan Clowers | Oak Ridge National Laboratory | Understanding the synergistic effects of hydrogen, helium and radiation damage in FCC and BCC nuclear structural materials | | Sarah Cole | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Three-dimensional imaging of porosity in irradiated annular U-10Zr fuel: Role of fuel design | | Andrea Fazi | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | High-dose ion irradiation of Cr-Nb coatings for accident tolerant fuel cladding | | Anshul Kamboj | Idaho National Laboratory | Irradiation creep resistance in self-healing alloys for extreme nuclear reactor environments | | Adam Koziol | Oklo Inc. | Fatigue life characterization of irradiated HT9 | | Yan-Ru Lin | Oak Ridge National Laboratory | Irradiation effects on thermomechanical properties of multi-component ultra-high-temperature carbides for nuclear fuel applications | | Adrianna Lupercio | Idaho National Laboratory | Characterization of the combined effects of stress and neutron irradiation in the crystal lattice of nuclear graphite | | Subhashish Meher | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory | Radiation response of DED Alloy 709 and 316 H steels under coupled ion irradiation, mechanical loading, and post-irradiation testing | | Mary Meyer | University of Florida | Influence of irradiation on phase stability in U-Zr using in situ ion irradiation | | Mitchell Mika | University of Florida | Micromechanical assessment of irradiated U-Pu-Zr regions guided by MicroCT and EBSD | | Srinivasa Kartik Nemani | University of Alabama at Birmingham | Mechanical properties of in situ irradiated layered compositionally complex transition metal carbides (MAX phases) | | Mahmud Hasan Ovi | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Irradiation-assisted stress corrosion cracking susceptibility of service-exposed baffle former bolt stainless steel following post-irradiation annealing | | Aaron G. Penders | Idaho National Laboratory | IASCC characterization of 316 and 347 SS baffle bolts in the context of internal oxidation | | Ethan Polselli | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | The impact of anti-contamination devices on carbon and microstructural evolution during ion beam irradiation | | Shuguang Wei | University of Wisconsin-Madison | Microstructure-controlled void swelling resistance of Alloy 625 under MSR-relevant ion irradiation | | Haifeng Zhang | University of North Texas | Radiation tolerance of boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) as a sensor for nuclear extreme environments |