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Nicholas Crnkovich, a graduate student in the Department of Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics
October 9, 2025

Graduate student receives NASA space technology research award

Written By: Lili Sarajian

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Department of Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics graduate student Nicholas Crnkovich received a 2025 NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunity (NSTGRO) Award. 

“I was thrilled to receive this award,” says Crnkovich. “Space exploration is something I’ve been super interested in since I was a kid, and getting to work with NASA is a dream come true.”

Crnkovich is a PhD student in the Materials Degradation Under Corrosion and Radiation (MADCOR) group led by Associate Professor Adrien Couet. The proposed research project aims to leverage the group’s new high-throughput synthesis, irradiation, and characterization system to identify and develop durable materials for nuclear thermal propulsion systems.

Nuclear thermal propulsion systems use fission reactors to heat liquid propellants, converting them into a gas that is expelled through a rocket nozzle to create thrust. These systems allow rockets to travel farther and faster while using less fuel. 

Like many new nuclear technologies, nuclear thermal propulsion has significant limitations imposed by materials. In order to reuse the engines, the materials must withstand high temperatures (over 2000°C with interest in pushing 3000°C) and intense radiation.

Through the NSTGRO program, each awardee collaborates with a NASA engineer or scientist in their research area to aid in disseminating their research results within the NASA technical community. Crnkovich will work with a materials researcher at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville.  

“It’s going to be a great experience to work at NASA facilities during this fellowship and to explore outside of the nuclear power industry for a bit,” says Crnkovich. While he had tabled his early interest in space exploration to pursue clean energy research, Crnkovich is “floored by the prospect of getting to do both at the same time” through this NSTGRO award.

Crnkovich’s research demonstrates the broad applications of nuclear energy and its potential to not only save this planet, but also help explore the rest.