Collaborative Immobilizing Nuclear Waste Technology Wins 2026 R&D 100 Award
As the United States is planning to deploy advanced nuclear reactors that will generate back-end nuclear waste, finding a way to immobilize and dispose of this toxic waste has become an especially critical research priority.
A multi-institutional research team led by Department of Materials Science and Engineering Professor and Chair Ashutosh Goel has received the Mechanical/Materials 2026 R&D 100 Award for its ongoing research into cermet, a durable, heat-resistant ceramic and metallic waste-form technology that immobilizes nuclear waste from advanced reactors.
This award is for technology developed specifically within the framework of a collaborative Department of Energy Advanced Research (DOE ARPA-E) funded project led by Goel. The award-winning project was sponsored by ARPA-E as part of their ONWARDS program and supports the team's continued development and deployment of safe, long-term solutions to the problem of immobilizing and disposing of toxic nuclear waste generated by advanced nuclear reactors.
As the Principal Investigator, or PI, Goel—a leader in glass and ceramic technology—is leading a team of researchers from Washington State University, the University of South Carolina, the Savannah River National LabPacific Northwest National Laboratory, Alfred University, and Missouri University of Science and Technology.
The prestigious R&D 100 Award nomination led by co-PI Jake Amoroso from Savannah River National Lab, acknowledges the collaborative team's commitment to advancing transformative, safe, and sustainable technologies with the potential to simplify long-term nuclear waste management of advanced, next-generation nuclear energy systems.
"This award is meaningful," says Goel, "because it recognizes not just a technology, but the collaborative journey behind it. Developing solutions for advanced nuclear waste disposal requires expertise spanning materials science, chemistry, engineering, and nuclear science and no single institution can accomplish this alone. It has been a privilege to lead such an exceptional team."
Recognizing a Scalable Solution
The award-winning cermet waste form technology offers a scalable solution for immobilizing the diverse waste streams produced from the back end of advanced nuclear fuel cycles into a single, chemically durable waste form.
The 2026 R&D 100 Award reflects the growing reputation of the MSE department in nuclear waste remediation. "It reinforces our belief that the most impactful innovations emerge when universities, national laboratories, industry, and government work together toward a common goal," says Goel, who along with Amoroso will be attending the award presentation in November in Arizona.
