Charting International SMR Development
Andrew Reddie, Professor
Public Policy
Applications for Spring 2025 are closed for this project.
The growing demand for energy generation to power the global population growth, the rise in artificial intelligence, and the use of electric vehicles is driving an resurgence and expansion in the demand for fission-based nuclear power. We propose an in-depth study on how this growing demand will change global norms surrounding the use of nuclear energy, to include nuclear safety and security, the global market for fissile material, and potential for proliferation of weapons-grade fissile material.
This study will focus on the following questions:
What is the landscape of small nuclear reactor design and comparing the costs, capabilities, and safety of each design
How specific countries are designing and marketing SMRs around the world?
How are countries ensuring the safety of their SMR designs?
How are countries pursuing fuel enrichment, reprocessing, and recycling as they build their SMR development plan?
Role: Students can expect to conduct research, contribute to literature reviews, collect data on project-related topics, aid in administrative tasks related to their projects, and take notes during project-relevant meetings, interviews, and workshops.
Qualifications: (1) Students must be organized.
(2) Strong interest in security or technology policy issues.
(3) Understanding of a research process. We strongly recommend that applicants have written at least one research paper for a college-level class (preferably in political science or related fields) and received a grade of A- or higher.
(4) Facility with Microsoft Word and Excel.
(5) Research assistants should be familiar with how to use library and electronic resources.
They should not be averse to visiting the library physically and they should be willing to show some tenacity in tracking down very specific information about particular cases.
(6) The ability to think creatively and meet deadlines is essential.
Students with research-level foreign language skills should note these on their applications.
Day-to-day supervisor for this project: Leah Walker
Hours: 6-8 hrs
Related website: https://brsl.berkeley.edu