Sébastien Philippe is an Assistant Professor of Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and an Associate Faculty member at the La Follette School of Public Affairs. He is also a visiting research scholar with Princeton University’s Program on Science and Global Security, where he spent six years before joining UW–Madison in August 2025.
Philippe’s work combines technical and policy analysis to inform public and governmental understanding of nuclear risks and to support evidence-based policy and diplomatic solutions. His current research focuses on modeling the consequences of nuclear weapon use and nuclear war. In July 2025, he was appointed by the UN Secretary-General to the newly established Scientific Panel on the Effects of Nuclear War.
Philippe is a 2025 MacArthur fellow. He is also the recipient of the 2025 Joseph A. Burton Award from the American Physical Society for outstanding contributions at the interface of physics and society, the 2022 Sigma Award for best data journalism in the world, and was a finalist for the 2021 Albert Londres Prize (France’s highest journalism award), among other honors. His work has been featured in major media outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, BBC, Scientific American, Science, Nature, CNN, MSNBC Morning Joe, and The New Yorker.
Philippe earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton (2018) and completed postdoctoral training at Harvard. Prior to his PhD, he served as a nuclear weapon system safety engineer in the French Ministry of Armed Forces.