Badger engineers selected for Nuclear News’ 40 Under 40 list

Nuclear News, the flagship publication of the American Nuclear Society, has named Ben Lindley, an assistant professor of nuclear engineering and engineering physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and alumni Grace Stanke, Kathryn Huff, Erik Nygaard and Kevin Field to its inaugural 40 Under 40 list.

The list honors talented young professionals who are leading the charge in nuclear, making significant strides across the industry—from advanced reactor technology to policy shaping.

Lindley’s expertise is in reactor physics, and his research focuses on designing and analyzing new nuclear reactors. He has substantial research and leadership experience in the areas of digital engineering for nuclear reactors, fusion reactor simulation, and advanced reactor core and primary system design. He is also a co-founder and technical advisor for Realta Fusion Inc., a UW–Madison spinoff focused on commercializing mirror machines as fusion energy reactors.

Stanke (BSNE ’23) was Miss America 2023 and used her platform to advocate for clean-energy solutions, with a strong focus on nuclear energy. She currently works as a nuclear fuels engineer and clean energy advocate at Constellation.

Huff (PhDNEEP ’13), former assistant secretary of energy at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy, is an associate professor in the Department of Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Nygaard (BSNE ’09, MSNE ’11) is director of product development at BWX Technologies.

Field (MSMSE ’09, PhDMSE ’12) is an associate professor of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences at the University of Michigan. He is an experimental material scientist with expertise in advanced alloy development and radiation effects in material systems relevant for nuclear power generation.