Kevin Chen will lead a U.S. Department of Energy study on nuclear sensors

Kevin Chen, the Paul E. Lego Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, will lead a collaborative study to develop radiation-hard, multifunctional distributed fiber sensors and sensor-fused components that can be placed in a nuclear reactor core to improve safety and efficiency. Chen’s research into fiber optical sensing technology earned him a 2017 Carnegie Science Award.

The U.S. Department of Energy announced that Pitt's Swanson School of Engineering will receive $1.275 million for collaborative research that includes the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Reactor Laboratory, Westinghouse Electric Corporation and the National Energy Technology Laboratory.