June 15, 2023
By Ashley Ritchie

Anna Erickson, Associate Chair for Research and Woodruff Professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, has been honored with two awards from the American Nuclear Society (ANS).

Erickson has received the Arthur Holly Compton Award in Education from the Education, Training and Workforce Development Division (ETWDD) and the National Landis Young Member Engineering Award. She was formally recognized during the 2023 ANS Annual Meeting, held earlier this week in Indianapolis, Indiana.

“I am truly honored to receive these awards. I have been involved with the ANS in various roles since 2006, and the Society has shaped both my outreach and mentorship in a very positive way,” said Erickson.

The Arthur Holly Compton Award in Education recognizes outstanding contributions to education in nuclear science and engineering. Erickson was selected for her pioneering academic achievements and extensive outreach endeavors in the field of nuclear engineering education, seamlessly integrating traditional classroom instruction, innovative experimentation, and cutting-edge distance education techniques to create a multidisciplinary, multi-platform educational experience for the 21st century.

The Landis Young Member Engineering Award recognizes outstanding achievement in which engineering knowledge has been effectively applied to yield an engineering concept, design, safety improvement, method of analysis, or product utilized in nuclear power research and development or commercial application. Erickson was selected for establishing the foundation for novel high-precision instrumentation for safety and security remote monitoring enabling successful development, deployment, and commercialization of advanced reactors with operational autonomy.

Erickson is the Director of the Consortium for Enabling Technologies and Innovation, a $25M Consortium sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration and composed of 12 institutions of higher education and 12 national laboratories. The ETI Consortium aims to develop new technologies and educational programs to support the agency’s nuclear science, security, and nonproliferation goals.

In addition, Erickson directs the Laboratory for Advanced Nuclear Nonproliferation and Safety (LANNS) at Georgia Tech. Her research is focused on bridging a critical gap between reactor engineering and nuclear nonproliferation communities by integrating theoretical reactor analysis and design and experimental detection.

As the Associate Chair for Research, Erickson is responsible for working with faculty to develop a strategic research plan for future growth and investments within the Woodruff School.

Erickson earned her M.S. and Ph.D. in Nuclear Science and Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2008 and 2011, respectively. She is also a co-author of Active Interrogation in Nuclear Security: Science, Technology, and Systems, published by Nature Springer in 2018, and over a hundred journal publications, conference proceedings, and presentations.