The University of Illinois at Chicago has received $8M in funds from the National Nuclear Security Administration through the Stewardship Science Academic Alliances program to manage a Center of Excellence that will focus on the properties of materials under austere conditions.
UIC will oversee the Chicago/Department of Energy Alliance Center for four years under the SSAA program, DOE said Monday.
The facility will establish interactions between academic groups and NNSA laboratory scientists and train graduate students in stewardship science. The center will also perform high pressure-temperature studies on the properties of materials.
“This work will expand the boundaries of knowledge in materials and high-pressure science, while also developing the next generation of scientists to support the stockpile stewardship mission,” said Mark Anderson, assistant deputy administrator for research, development, test and evaluation at NNSA’s Office of Defense Programs.
The SSAA initiative seeks to recruit engineers and scientists for the Nuclear Security Enterprise in a move to support NNSA’s stockpile stewardship efforts.