Kevin Field honored by American Nuclear Society
Professor Field was given the Landis Young Member Engineering Achievement Award.
Kevin Field, Associate Prof. in the U-M Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences (NERS), received the Landis Young Member Engineering Achievement Award from the American Nuclear Society (ANS) at the ANS annual meeting this week.
The Landis Young Member Engineering Achievement Award recognizes young members for outstanding achievement in which engineering knowledge has been effectively applied to yield an engineering concept, design, safety improvement, method of analysis or product utilized in nuclear power research and development or commercial application. The award emphasizes the vital part played by young members in the future of nuclear science and technology and the American Nuclear Society.
“The American Nuclear Society’s recognition through the ANS Landis Young Member Engineering Achievement Award is a true honor and I am excited to join such an esteemed collection of nuclear engineers and scientists,” said Field. “I appreciate that it highlights my personal achievements and that it also serves as a tribute to the amazing mentorship and influences throughout my career from the nuclear materials community. Many thanks to ANS and to the community that continues to help me succeed every day.”
“This award is a perfect recognition of Kevin’s scientific contribution and leadership in the field of nuclear materials! His innovative application of AI to nuclear materials and microscopy is translational and impactful. Conversations with him never fail to be stimulating. It is with great pleasure that I count myself among his colleagues,” said Prof. Y Z.
Field was honored for groundbreaking research and development of accident and radiation-tolerant materials for nuclear power generation and for his leadership and mentorship in improving the culture within the field of nuclear engineering.
Field’s research is dedicated to alloy development and exploring radiation effects in both ferrous and non-ferrous alloys. His pursuits encompass advanced electron microscopy, scattering-based characterization techniques, additive and advanced manufacturing for nuclear materials, and the utilization of machine and deep learning techniques to drive innovation in material systems development.
Transitioning to NERS in 2019, Dr. Field brought with him nearly seven years of experience from Oak Ridge National Laboratory. There, he commenced as an Alvin M. Weinberg Fellow and progressed to the position of staff scientist. At NERS, in addition to chairing the NERS undergraduate program and leading the Nuclear Oriented Materials & Examination (NOME) Group, Field also became director of the Michigan Ion Beam Laboratory in 2023. Field is also co-owner of Theia Scientific, LLC, the startup launched in 2020 to bring machine and deep learning quantification solutions to the energy sector.
Throughout his career, Field has authored numerous publications and presentations focusing on radiation effects in materials relevant to nuclear power generation. Topics range from the performance of irradiated concrete to deformation mechanisms in irradiated steels and the radiation tolerance of enhanced accident-tolerant fuel forms. In addition to the Landis Award, he also received the UT-Battelle Award for Early Career Researcher in Science and Technology in 2018, and the U.S. Department of Energy Early Career Award in 2020.
Field’s academic journey includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Materials Science & Engineering from Michigan Technological University in 2007, followed by a Master of Science in 2009 and a Ph.D. in 2012 from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His doctoral research concentrated on segregation phenomena in ion and neutron-irradiated ferrous-based alloys.
Other NERS community members to receive the Landis Award include Adjunct Prof. Piyush Sabharwall (2019), Prof. Y Z (2017), Advisory Board Member Jeremy T. Busby (2006), Department Chair Todd Allen (2002), former Associate Prof. James Holloway (2000), Prof. Emeritus and former Department Chair Ronald M. Gilgenbach (1987).