The Vanderbilt graduate received a prestigious US Department of Energy scholarship of $ 161,000 Vanderbilt News

Irfan Ibrahim |

The Department of Energy’s Nuclear Power Bureau has awarded Environmental Engineering Research Assistant Irfan Ibrahim a US $ 161,000 Integrated University Scholarship to advance his work on nuclear reactor safety. The bureau’s awards include 50 grants and 31 grants for nuclear scientists and engineers at 35 colleges and universities in 23 states.

Ibrahim’s research includes assisting with safety and reliability assessments of advanced nuclear reactors. In particular, his work supports early risk analysis of molten salt reactors, which show promise as efficient and reliable sources of carbon-free electricity. MSRs consist of technologies and components that require rigorous analysis.

“I am very humble to be selected to be the recipient of this prestigious grant. This will allow me to do very important and cutting edge research and work with some of the brightest minds in my field, ”said Ibrahim. “I am honored to represent Vanderbilt University in this capacity and this scholarship will certainly help me achieve my academic and professional goals.”

Steven Krahn (Vanderbilt University)

“These DOE-NE grants are very flexible. Here at Vanderbilt, they enable our students to do applied research on the risk assessment of advanced nuclear technologies to study the safety and environmental impact of new concepts, ”said Steven Krahn, professor of environmental nuclear engineering and principal researcher on the fellowship.

The scholarship will fund coursework and research, and $ 5,000 to fund an internship at a national Department of Energy laboratory or other accredited research facility to strengthen relationships between students and the DOE’s energy research programs.

“It is an honor to represent Nashville and what most people call the ‘Athens of the South’ because of our great universities,” said US representative Jim Cooper in a press release. “I’m glad this funding goes to students doing groundbreaking research to help move society forward and build our future.”

This success is due to Vanderbilt being awarded a 10-year contract from the Integrated University Program, administered by the Department of Energy-Idaho Operations Office. This award qualifies Vanderbilt to compete for future departmental funding. Vanderbilt had won two previous Research Awards from the Department of Energy’s Department of Energy, totaling $ 1.6 million.

Ibrahim is the fourth Vanderbilt PhD student to have been awarded a scholarship for an integrated university program in seven years. Previous winners are Timothy Ault (Ph.D., ENVE, ’17), Brandon Chisholm (Ph.D., ENVE, ’20) and the current Ph.D. Candidate Megan Harkema.