Abstract:
Small modular reactors (SMRs) and advanced nuclear technologies are gaining attention as key solutions to climate change, energy insecurity, and the growing energy needs of data centers. However, the potential expansion of the global nuclear industry introduces—and in some cases reinforces—problems that technological solutions alone will not be able to fix. To help ensure that advanced nuclear energy serves the public interest rather than predominantly corporate and geopolitical actors, we must have robust governance frameworks in place before the widespread implementation of SMRs.

This presentation will highlight the findings of the recent Science, Technology, and Public Policy (STPP) program’s Technology Assessment Project (TAP) report, “The Reactor Around the Corner: Understanding Advanced Nuclear Energy Futures.” We will discuss our research approach, in which we use the analogical case study (ACS) method to examine historical and contemporary technology parallels. By analyzing past technologies similar in form, function, or impact, we can identify repeating social patterns and anticipate the social, environmental, ethical, equity, economic, and geopolitical implications of emerging technologies.

Our analysis reveals that without robust governance frameworks, the widespread adoption of SMRs risks entrenching global disparities, privileging private interests over public good, overlooking local and Indigenous knowledge, intensifying environmental injustices, and failing to deliver on promises of local empowerment. We present policy recommendations for responsible governance of SMRs and the uranium supply chain to maximize benefits and minimize harms.

This interdisciplinary collaboration between the Ford School’s Science, Technology, and Public Policy (STPP) program and the College of Engineering’s Fastest Path to Zero Initiative (FPTZ) in the Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences demonstrates how policy and engineering expertise can be effectively integrated to address complex sociotechnical challenges.

Denia Djokić Biography:
Denia Djokić is an Assistant Research Scientist at the University of Michigan’s Fastest Path to Zero Initiative in the Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences. Her research focuses on the social, political, equity, and environmental justice aspects of nuclear waste management, advanced nuclear energy technology, and energy systems more broadly. Dr. Djokić holds a PhD in nuclear engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, where she was a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management Graduate Student Fellow, and a BS in physics from Carnegie Mellon University.

Molly Kleinman Biography:
Molly Kleinman serves as the Managing Director of the Science, Technology, and Public Policy program at the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy. In this role, she has co-authored reports on equitable community partnerships, generative AI, facial recognition, and vaccine hesitancy. Dr. Kleinman received her PhD in Higher Education Policy from the University of Michigan Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education, her MS in Information from the University of Michigan School of Information, and her BA in English from Bryn Mawr College.