Program Overview

UNLV Radiochemistry Ph.D. Program

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) offers a Ph.D. program in Radiochemistry, providing students with hands-on training and novel experiments to explore, understand, and utilize the fundamental properties of isotopes. With Nevada's unique relationship with nuclear activities, Las Vegas has emerged as a prime location to study the chemistry of actinides, technetium, and other radionuclides.

Program Highlights

• The program offers research opportunities in nuclear forensics, advanced fuels and novel waste forms, actinide and lanthanide chemistry, nuclear fuel cycle and separations, radiopharmaceuticals, and fundamental and applied research on technetium.
• Many graduates secure employment in the private industry, academia, national organizations, and national laboratories, including LANL, LLNL, PNNL, ANL, ORNL, LBNL, and SRNL.
• The program has research collaborations with other universities, national laboratories, and international organizations, providing ample opportunities for travel and a comprehensive understanding of the global radiochemistry field.
• Accepted students receive full funding for tuition, fees, health insurance, conference travel, and stipend, with additional fellowship and internship opportunities available.

Conducting Research

The Radiochemistry Laboratory Complex at UNLV features over 7,500 square feet of shared laboratory space and advanced instrumentation, including counting, spectroscopy, microscopy, and X-ray diffraction facilities. Students have complete access to program facilities and are encouraged to collaborate and seek innovative approaches to research challenges in this community-based learning program. The university's extensive radioactive materials license and radiation safety program allow researchers to safely handle a broad array of isotopes at high activity levels, making this student-led research program unique in the field.

Program Funders and Collaborators

The UNLV Radiochemistry program engages in research across all sectors of the nuclear landscape, with funding from governmental agencies, national laboratories, and niche industry partners. Student research projects cover diverse subjects such as nuclear forensics, materials chemistry, advanced nuclear fuel cycle, and investigation of medical isotopes.

Advanced Fuel Cycle

The Radiochemistry Fellowship for Nuclear Workforce Development (RFND) is a competitive fellowship program available to UNLV Radiochemistry Ph.D. students, focusing on molten salt reactor chemistry, aqueous separation techniques for fuel recycling, and fundamental actinide coordination chemistry. Project funding is provided by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, aiming to provide students with comprehensive fellowships covering tuition, health insurance, and stipends.

Nuclear Forensics

The Research Traineeship for Nuclear Forensics (RTNF) is a competitive fellowship program offered to UNLV Radiochemistry Ph.D. students through the Department of Homeland Security. The research combines targeted dissolution of radionuclides from debris with rapid microfluidic separations to produce samples with quality signatures within 24 hours of a post-detonation event. Students engaged in the program emerge as experts in nuclear forensics, possessing the skills necessary to positively impact research in applied areas of direct interest to the DHS CWMD program.

Medical Isotopes

The program has an ongoing collaboration with Niowave, a medical isotope production company, focusing on production, extraction, and purification techniques for radioisotopes from irradiated uranium targets, including refining isotope inventories and developing separation techniques.

Collaborations

UNLV collaborates with academic institutions, national laboratories, and industry leaders by partnering in funded research consortia. Participation in consortium grants affords students the opportunity to network with leaders in various sectors while performing relevant research that advances their career and the nuclear field. Collaborations include:

• Nuclear Science and Security Consortium (NSSC)
• Consortium for Nuclear Forensics (CNF)
• Consortium on Nuclear Security Technologies (CONNECT)
• Supporting Strategic Training of Adaptable and Integrated Nuclear Workforce (SUSTAIN)
• Nuclear Security Science and Technology Consortium (NSSTC)

Career Opportunities

Graduates of the radiochemistry program have found successful careers in government and private sectors in fields such as nuclear power, medicine, national security, basic research, and more. These fields are growing and experiencing workforce shortages, with the U.S. Department of Energy calling for an increase in domestic nuclear capacity and reports indicating staffing needs in national nuclear security administration and critical shortages in clinical and research personnel in nuclear medicine disciplines.

Alumni Employment After Graduation

Notable alumni include:

• Nic Cicchetti, Class of 2025, Darleane C. Hoffman Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL)
• Hannah Patenaude, Class of 2024, Director's Postdoctoral Fellow, Los Alamos National Laboratory
• Vanessa Sanders, Class of 2019, Research Scientist at Brookhaven National Laboratory
• Bradly Childs, Class of 2017, Research Scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Faculty and Staff

The faculty bring decades of laboratory experience conducting cutting-edge research that advances the frontiers of nuclear science. As active members of national and international consortia, they provide students with access to collaborative, real-world research opportunities. Their strong commitment to mentorship fosters student growth, guiding future scientists to become confident, independent researchers and leaders in the field. Notable faculty members include:

• Art Gelis, Ph.D., Expertise: Transuranics, Separations, Medical Isotopes, Microfluidics
• Ken Czerwinski, Ph.D., Expertise: Speciation, Actinides, Radiopharmaceuticals, Radioelements
• Frederic Poineau, Ph.D., Expertise: Technetium, Actinide Synthesis, Electronic Spectroscopy, Fuel Cycle
• Daniel Koury, Ph.D., Expertise: Nuclear Materials, Materials Analysis, Actinide Metallurgy, Corrosion
• Paul Forster, Ph.D., Expertise: Solid State and Materials Chemistry, Crystallography, Fission Gas Storage/Separation
• David Hatchett, Ph.D., Expertise: Electrochemistry, materials, chemical sensors, catalysts
• Wendee Johns, CRA, Research and business administration, grants and contracts management, proposal development.