Dr. Sunil Chirayath in the Department of Nuclear Engineering at Texas A&M University was awarded the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management (INMM) Award for Education and Outreach. He is a senior member of the organization. This prestigious award recognizes an exceptional individual who has given outstanding service to educating the public and the new, incoming and current practitioners in the field of nuclear materials management.
Overseen by the education and training committee, this award is the first of its kind for INMM. As the initial recipient, Chirayath is setting a high precedent and paving the way for excellence within the organization.
“Education and outreach in the field of nuclear materials management is extremely important at this critical juncture given the nuclear security challenges posed by North Korea and Iran,” said Chirayath. “In addition, several new countries are planning to embark on using nuclear technology. Thus, it is important to educate and train the next generation of professionals in nuclear materials management and in nuclear security to ensure the peaceful uses of nuclear technology.”
Chirayath has served the Department of Nuclear Engineering for 14 years in various capacities and is currently an associate professor and the director of the Texas A&M Center for Nuclear Security Science and Policy Initiatives. With over 30 years of experience in the field of nuclear science and engineering, he has worked in a multitude of academic and industry environments.
Chirayath has over 200 technical publications in refereed journals and national/international conference proceedings. His research is mostly in the field of nuclear security and nonproliferation. His work interests include the development of safeguards approaches for advanced reactors, proliferation resistance analysis of fuel cycle facilities, nuclear forensics and insider threat analysis.
“This INMM award is definitely a solid encouragement for me to continue my education and outreach activities,” said Chirayath. “I am glad that INMM has instituted this award in the field of nuclear materials management to recognize professionals in academia and other institutions.”