PNNL researchers are advancing AI-assisted nuclear fuel recycling to tap more than 90% of the energy potential left in used fuel, reduce waste and support secure, cost-effective next-generation reactors.

Five PNNL innovations earned 2026 R&D 100 Awards for advances in biotechnology, manufacturing, critical minerals, and nuclear security.

Genesis Mission awards to PNNL will advance scientific discovery, next-generation energy systems and advanced manufacturing, among others.

Award-winning research advances AI applications for environmental cleanup.

The new Washington State Academy of Sciences electees from PNNL represent expertise in nuclear forensics, soil sciences, electricity infrastructure, and more.

PNNL’s nondestructive evaluation capabilities support advancements in nuclear energy, including research for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to preserve the nation’s existing nuclear fleet.

Coding agents repurposed to draft complex environmental impact statement sections through PermitAI public-private partnership model.

A newly published custom collection of glass formulas for nuclear waste vitrification — developed and validated by PNNL over the past three years — was made possible in that timeframe with AI tools, including a PNNL machine learning model.

PNNL chemist Sarah Saslow received the ACS Rising Star Award for her research supporting environmental cleanup, including work on legacy waste and subsurface contamination.

PNNL has developed a next-generation electrical resistivity tomography system for DOE that uses E4D software and AI-enhanced modeling to produce real-time subsurface images that help guide environmental remediation decisions.

PNNL’s Center for the Remediation of Complex Sites inducted leaders Director David Peeler, Deputy Director Carolyn Pearce, Operations Director Christian Johnson, and advisors with multidisciplinary subsurface research expertise.

RemPlex 2025 Global Summit on Environmental Remediation attendees share knowledge about cleanup and monitoring of complex sites worldwide; more than 100 presentations are posted online.

The Hanford Site is now immobilizing radioactive waste in glass: a process known as vitrification. PNNL contributed 60 years of materials science expertise—and is providing operational support—to help the nation meet this cleanup milestone.

Mystery of how important aluminum minerals form and dissolve solved with materials science and advanced imaging studies.

Nanosize platelets of an aluminum material slide and join in a staggered orientation to form larger crystals.

Early career researchers recognized with Team Science Award by the Department of Energy for presentation highlighting the collaborative science performed by IDREAM.

IDREAM researchers uncovered how dimeric complexes control how aluminum hydroxide minerals dissolve.

PermitAI’s newly released dataset, NEPATEC 2.0, captures and curates environmental review data for faster, better federal permitting.

PNNL researchers continue to deliver high-quality, high-impact research on radioactive waste and nuclear materials management, earning “Papers of Note” and “Superior Paper” awards.

The Department of Energy Art of Science contest entry focuses on the extraordinary universe of chemical bond making and breaking under irradiation.