U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm released a statement in response to the U.S. Senate's 80-11 bipartisan vote to confirm Dr. Kathryn Huff as assistant secretary for nuclear energy at the U.S. Department of Energy.
Since May of 2021, Huff had served as the Office of Nuclear Energy's principal deputy assistant secretary, according tot he DOE release.
“I am so grateful to the Senate for confirming Dr. Kathryn Huff to serve as DOE’s assistant secretary for nuclear energy," Granholm said. " Dr. Huff has been a trailblazer for her entire career in nuclear engineering, and she brings endless enthusiasm and curiosity to her work.
Huff also directed the Advanced Reactors and Fuel Cycles Research Group as an assistant professor at the Department of Nuclear, Plasma and Radiological Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign before her appointment in the DOE's Office of Nuclear Energy, according to the DOE statement.
"In her role, she leads DOE’s efforts to maintain existing, zero-carbon nuclear power facilities and advance next-generation nuclear energy technologies," Granholm said. "Dr. Huff is an invaluable leader in our work to tackle the climate crisis, increase our energy security and independence and provide affordable, reliable energy for all Americans."
Additionally, Huff served as a Blue Waters Assistant Professor for the National Center for Supercomputing Applications. According to the news release, Huff earned her Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison as well as a bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Chicago in 2013.
