Direct-fund basic research at universities that complement applied research in nuclear forensics at the DOE National Laboratories to include foundational disciplines of radiochemistry; geochemistry; shock physics; nuclear physics, science and engineering; radiation detector science; nuclear material science engineering; nuclear chemical engineering; modeling, simulation and optimization methods for nuclear applications; and seismology and infrasound methods supporting yield determination. A secondary benefit to this research is the development of a diverse and highly talented cadre of technical professionals, including scientists, engineers, technicians, and operational personnel, who will become the next generation of technical leaders in nuclear missions, such as nuclear forensics, nonproliferation, incident response, intelligence, and energy. These professionals are expected to primarily benefit the DOE National Laboratories as future research staff but will also benefit academia, private industry, and U.S. government agencies, including Energy, State, Defense, Homeland Security, Justice, and the Intelligence Community.

Education

• Private institutions of higher education
• Public and state institutions of higher education