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Abstract illustrations capture the complex interplay of physical processes within next-generation nuclear reactors, harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to unlock new design possibilities.Urbana todayDean Price, an assistant professor in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering, is on a mission to help design and deploy new classes of nuclear reactors that build on the safety, economics, and reliability of existing reactors. He researches using artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve the design and operation of advanced nuclear reactors, including small modular reactors and microreactors.
why is it important
Nuclear power currently provides nearly 20% of the nation’s electricity, but Price believes more efforts are needed to use it as a replacement for fossil fuels. By advancing nuclear technology through AI, Price aims to make nuclear energy a more viable and attractive option for carbon-free power generation.
detail
Price’s research focuses on multiphysics modeling, which examines how different physical processes in a nuclear reactor core, such as neutronics and thermohydraulics, interact. He is exploring ways to use AI and machine learning to bypass the computationally intensive process of solving the complex nonlinear equations required for these simulations. This has the potential to improve the design of advanced nuclear reactors and enable more intelligent control decisions to operate them safely and economically.
- Mr. Price joined the MIT faculty in September 2025.
- He co-taught a nuclear design course at MIT in fall 2025.
players
dean price
He is an assistant professor in the MIT Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering and the Atlantic Litchfield Career Development Professor in Energy Research. He works to advance nuclear technology through the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning.
curtis smith
Korea Electric Power Professor of Nuclear Science and Engineering Practice at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He co-taught a design course with Mr. Price.
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what they are saying
“Nuclear power has been a huge part of our nation’s energy infrastructure for the past 60 years, but the number of people maintaining that infrastructure is incredibly small. By becoming a nuclear engineer, you will be one of the select few responsible for America’s carbon-free energy generation.”
— Dean Price, MIT Assistant Professor
“If you want to change the power level or do anything with the reactor, the temperature of the fuel is a critical input that you need to know. Multiphysics modeling allows you to relate the fission neutron process to thermal properties, temperature. This helps predict how the reactor will behave under different conditions.”
— Dean Price, MIT Assistant Professor
“By understanding these relationships accurately, we can make better design decisions early on. And once the technology is developed and deployed, AI can help us make more intelligent control decisions, allowing us to operate reactors in a safer and more economical way.”
— Dean Price, MIT Assistant Professor
what’s next
Price will continue his research using AI and machine learning to improve the design and operation of modern nuclear reactors, with the goal of making nuclear energy a more viable and attractive option for carbon-free power generation.
Take-out
By harnessing the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Dean Price is working to overcome some of the key challenges facing the nuclear industry and help usher in a new era of safer, more economical nuclear power generation.
