Title:

Can We Make Atoms Great Again? Unlocking Nuclear Scaling in the United States

Speaker:

Mr. Victor Ibarra, Jr

Affiliation:

Advanced Nuclear Energy Program

When:

Thursday, November 6, 2025 at 11:00:00 AM   Add to Calendar

Where:

Boggs Building, Room 3-47

Host:

Shaheen Dewji
shaheen.dewji@gatech.edu

Abstract

The United States is entering a pivotal moment for nuclear energy. Ambitious decarbonization goals, surging electricity demand from data centers and industry, and the growing need for 24/7 clean power have renewed attention on nuclear energy’s role in the clean energy transition. Yet scaling nuclear from demonstration to deployment will depend on more than reactor innovation; it will require new financing models, market structures, and regulatory reforms that can enable multiunit, multistate orderbooks of projects. This seminar explores the intersection of technology, economics, and policy shaping the next generation of nuclear development and discusses key levers to unlocking nuclear scaling in the United States.

Biography

Victor Ibarra, Jr is a proud Mexican American from Dallas, Texas, and joined Clean Air Task Force as a Senior Manager for the Advanced Nuclear Energy Program in March 2025. In this role, Victor serves as an in-house expert on U.S. federal and state nuclear policy, energy market dynamics, regulatory ecosystems and leads targeted outreach, policy initiatives, and project implementation to promote advanced nuclear technologies as part of the domestic energy transition. Victor holds a B.S. in Nuclear Engineering from Texas A&M University and earned his M.S. in Engineering and Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University.

Notes

Meet the speaker