WilliamCharlton
- wcharlton@austin.utexas.edu
- 512-232-5380
- ETC 7.114
Technological solutions to counter nuclear threats; Nuclear nonproliferation and counter-proliferation; Detector development and testing; Interpretation of technical nuclear forensics data; Reactor physics calculations for analysis of nuclear systems
About
In January 2018, William “Bill” Charlton joined the faculty at The University of Texas at Austin as the John J. McKetta Energy Professor in the Nuclear and Radiation Engineering Program within the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering. He also serves as the director of the Nuclear Engineering Teaching Laboratory (NETL) at UT Austin, which, in addition to other research laboratories, houses the newest nuclear research reactor in the U.S.
He is an expert in the application of nuclear science and engineering to national security, including nuclear nonproliferation, counter-proliferation, security, and deterrence. He has taught courses (specifically from a technical aspect) on nuclear nonproliferation and deterrence, nuclear security system design and analysis, nuclear forensics, and nuclear detection. Additionally, he has over 15 years of technical expertise in the design, development, testing and evaluation of technological solutions for nuclear threats.
From 2015-2018, Charlton was the research director for the National Strategic Research Institute (NSRI) at the University of Nebraska. NSRI is the University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) for the U.S. Strategic Command and the U.S. Department of Defense for Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction. Charlton had sponsor engagement, faculty interaction, and technical oversight responsibilities for all NSRI research programs to combat chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons (with a total contract value in excess of $42M). He also served as the Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. As Associate Vice Chancellor for Research, he worked with the administration and faculty to develop strategic research initiatives in support of the U.S. Department of Defense and other national security agencies.
From 2003-2015, Charlton served on the faculty of the Department of Nuclear Engineering at Texas A&M University and was the founding director of the Nuclear Security Science Policy Institute (NSSPI) from 2006-2015. NSSPI is a multi-disciplinary research and education organization focused on combatting threats from the malicious uses of nuclear and radiological materials. NSSPI is primarily funded through grants and contracts from the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Department of State. In addition to conducting research in the area of nuclear security and nuclear nonproliferation, he taught courses on nuclear nonproliferation, nuclear security system design, nuclear forensics, consequence management, and nuclear materials measurements. Under his supervision, the first Student Chapter of the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management was formed at Texas A&M during the organization’s over 50-year history.
He previously served as an assistant professor at UT Austin from 2000 to 2003 and as a technical staff member in the Nonproliferation and International Security Division at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) from 1998 to 2000.
Educational Qualifications
- Ph.D., Nuclear Engineering, Texas A&M University, 1999
- M.S., Nuclear Engineering, Texas A&M University, 1997
- B.S., Nuclear Engineering, Texas A&M University, 1995
Select Awards & Honors
- Special Service Award – Institute of Nuclear Materials Management (2010)
- George Armistead Jr. ’23 Faculty Fellow – Texas A&M University (2005)
- Advisor of the Year – TAMU Division of Student Affairs (2009)
- Barbara and Ralph Cox ’53 Faculty Fellow – Texas A&M University (2013)
- Distinguished Research Award – NSRI (2017)