MISSION

We develop transformative methods, materials and technologies to make fission energy systems more affordable and more sustainable. 

HISTORY

Back in September 2000, the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering and the MIT Energy Laboratory established the MIT Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems (CANES). Our first Director was the late Prof. Mujid Kazimi. Since then, CANES has been creating concepts for nuclear energy systems that promise favorable economics, reliability and environmental sustainability.  

DIRECTOR

Our current Director is Jacopo Buongiorno, Battelle Energy Alliance (BEA) Professor in Nuclear Engineering. Under his stewardship, CANES seeks to broaden the application of nuclear energy to all sectors of the global economy with an emphasis on decarbonization and cost competitiveness.  

PROGRAM

Our programs involve development and application of methods, materials and technologies for the design, operation, and regulation of current and advanced nuclear reactors and fuel cycles. This requires advances in knowledge about traditional scientific and technical disciplines, modern methods of systems reliability, probabilistic safety analysis and decision analysis, and human interactions and management science. 

FUTURE

We celebrated our 20th anniversary in September 2020, and our history is still being written. We continue to be an integral part of the MIT energy community as a research hub that brings together a diverse group of faculty across the Institute, as well as domestic and international industry, government, laboratories, and leading organizations to collaborate on nuclear energy initiatives.