Description
Conduct research on nuclear engineering projects or apply principles and theory of nuclear science to problems concerned with release, control, and use of nuclear energy and nuclear waste disposal.
- • Examine accidents to obtain data for use in design of preventive measures.
- • Monitor nuclear facility operations to identify any design, construction, or operation practices that violate safety regulations and laws or could jeopardize safe operations.
- • Keep abreast of developments and changes in the nuclear field by reading technical journals or by independent study and research.
- • Perform experiments that will provide information about acceptable methods of nuclear material usage, nuclear fuel reclamation, or waste disposal.
- • Design or oversee construction or operation of nuclear reactors, power plants, or nuclear fuels reprocessing and reclamation systems.
- • Design or develop nuclear equipment, such as reactor cores, radiation shielding, or associated instrumentation or control mechanisms.
- • Initiate corrective actions or order plant shutdowns in emergency situations.
- • Recommend preventive measures to be taken in the handling of nuclear technology, based on data obtained from operations monitoring or from evaluation of test results.
- • Write operational instructions to be used in nuclear plant operation or nuclear fuel or waste handling and disposal.
- • Conduct tests of nuclear fuel behavior and cycles or performance of nuclear machinery and equipment to optimize performance of existing plants.
- • Direct operating or maintenance activities of nuclear power plants to ensure efficiency and conformity to safety standards.
- • Conduct environmental studies on topics such as nuclear power generation, nuclear waste disposal, or nuclear weapon deployment.
- • Design fuel cycle models or processes to reduce the quantity of radioactive waste generated from nuclear activities.
- • Develop or contribute to the development of plans to remediate or restore environments affected by nuclear radiation, such as waste disposal sites.
- • Direct environmental compliance activities associated with nuclear plant operations or maintenance.
- • Prepare environmental impact statements, reports, or presentations for regulatory or other agencies.
- • Prepare technical reports of findings or recommendations, based on synthesized analyses of test results.
- • Design or direct nuclear research projects to develop, test, modify, or discover new uses for theoretical models.
- • Consult with other scientists to determine parameters of experimentation or suitability of analytical models.
- • Discuss construction project proposals with interested parties, such as vendors, contractors, or nuclear facility review boards.
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Energy & Natural Resources
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Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
