The global imperative for sustainable, carbon-free energy sources has brought nuclear power back into the spotlight, yet its widespread adoption hinges on two critical factors: competitive pricing and economic viability. Addressing these challenges head-on, Lauren Fortier, a second-year doctoral student in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering (NSE), is leading groundbreaking research into developing remote operation protocols for the autonomous control of nuclear plants, a development poised to redefine the industry’s future.
The Economic Imperative for Nuclear Power
For nuclear energy to truly serve as a cornerstone of the clean energy transition, it must overcome historical cost barriers. Traditional gigawatt-scale nuclear power plants, while highly efficient, have been characterized by immense upfront capital costs, lengthy construction timelines, and substantial operational expenditures, including the maintenance of large, highly skilled human staffs. These factors have often rendered nuclear less competitive against natural gas, and increasingly, against rapidly maturing renewable energy sources like solar and wind, despite nuclear’s superior baseload generation capabilities. The Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) for new nuclear builds can range significantly, often sitting higher than many renewable alternatives when subsidies are factored in. Fortier’s work directly targets a reduction in operational expenditure (OpEx), which constitutes a significant portion of a plant’s total cost of ownership over its multi-decade lifespan. By automating routine operations and enabling remote supervision, the need for extensive on-site personnel can be significantly reduced, making nuclear power, especially in the context of emerging small modular reactors (SMRs) and microreactors, a far more attractive economic proposition.
From Naval Service to Academic Innovation: Fortier’s Journey
Fortier’s unique journey into the realm of nuclear innovation began far from the hallowed halls of MIT. After completing an undergraduate degree in materials science and engineering at Northwestern University, a pursuit supported by an ROTC scholarship, she embarked on a formative period supervising nuclear plant operations aboard a U.S. aircraft carrier. This demanding role, often deep within the South China Sea, provided an unparalleled firsthand education in the absolute reliance on nuclear power for mission-critical operations. "It was a unique experience that you don’t easily see anywhere else, especially the complete reliance on nuclear power. The only way you’re moving through the ocean is if you have that nuclear reactor working," Fortier recalls, highlighting the profound responsibility and intricate nature of nuclear operations.
During her tenure as a naval nuclear operator, Fortier developed a deep appreciation for the operational aspects of nuclear technology, meticulously learning the underlying scientific principles. However, this intensive experience also brought to light inherent inefficiencies and process shortcomings. She observed that many plant operations were remarkably labor-intensive, sparking a fundamental question: could these processes be made less reliant on constant manual intervention? This critical observation laid the groundwork for her future academic pursuits.
The Transition to Academia and Foundational Research
Around the time these critical questions were crystallizing in her mind, the Navy presented Fortier with an opportunity to pursue a master’s degree from a selection of approved disciplines. Recognizing a natural extension of her hands-on experience and a desire to address the operational challenges she had identified, Fortier chose nuclear engineering at MIT. "My experiences in nuclear up until then had been overwhelmingly positive, so I thought I would build on them and move from the operations realm to the academic realm," she explains. The rigorous training and disciplined environment of the Navy proved to be excellent preparation for the intense academic demands at MIT, providing her with a solid foundation for advanced study.
For her master’s degree, Fortier embarked on developing a supervisory control system specifically designed for nuclear plant operations. Her research involved working with a sophisticated simulator that accurately replicated the complex thermal hydraulic responses of a nuclear reactor. The central hypothesis was that insights and lessons gleaned from these high-fidelity simulations could be directly translated and applied to real-world operational scenarios, paving the way for more efficient and potentially automated control. This initial foray into supervisory control systems underscored the immense potential for technological intervention in what had traditionally been a manual domain.
The Dawn of Autonomous Nuclear Plant Operations
The master’s research, while significant, proved to be merely the vanguard of a much larger and more ambitious endeavor. The full scope of developing truly autonomous nuclear plant operations extended far beyond the confines of a master’s thesis, necessitating a doctoral pursuit. Fortier’s continued research toward a PhD, projected for completion after her master’s in 2025, is focused on the future viability of nuclear power, particularly in the context of small, distributed plants located in rural or remote areas.
The emergence of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and microreactors represents a paradigm shift in nuclear energy deployment. Unlike legacy gigawatt-scale plants, which operate at 100 percent capacity and justify large operational staffs through massive power output, these smaller reactors are designed for flexibility, scalability, and deployment in diverse locations, often serving specific industrial needs or remote communities. The economics of such distributed generation preclude the maintenance of a large on-site human talent pool. This is precisely where Fortier’s work becomes indispensable: supervised and thoroughly vetted autonomous operations are not just an advantage for microreactors; they are an economic necessity. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and various private entities are investing heavily in SMR and microreactor development, with market projections indicating a significant growth in this sector over the next decade, making the need for advanced automation even more pressing.
A primary question guiding Fortier’s doctoral research is: "How do we transition to autonomous operations in nuclear power plants?" Her vision is centered on a single, integrated approach – a central supervisory control system – rather than a patchwork of interconnected, disparate components. The inherent challenge lies in modifying established operational procedures, which have historically been designed for human operators, to seamlessly accommodate the integration of machines. Fortier quickly recognized that any supervisory control system, no matter how meticulously designed, would be severely constrained if its architecture lacked the flexibility to accommodate both human and machine agents. "Because everything is human-centric, it doesn’t allow you to choose the best way to do a procedure," Fortier observes, emphasizing the need for a more adaptable framework. Her innovative approach seeks to enable humans and computers to collaborate, leveraging the strengths of each, with strategic human intervention deployed only when absolutely necessary, thereby optimizing efficiency and safety.
MIT-Facilitated Collaborations: A Multidisciplinary Approach
The ambitious scope of autonomous operations necessitated a multidisciplinary approach, a strength uniquely fostered by MIT’s collaborative ecosystem. Fortier’s research advisor, Sacit Cetiner, holds a joint appointment with MIT’s Nuclear Reactor Laboratory and the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), a critical nexus for nuclear research in the United States. This connection proved invaluable, facilitating a crucial collaboration with Katya Le Blanc, a senior human factors scientist at INL. Le Blanc’s expertise was instrumental in addressing the complex challenge of devising an autonomous supervisory control system equipped with an effective and easily adopted human-machine interface. Further enriching her understanding of designing cyber-physical systems, Fortier also engaged with the Human System Simulation Laboratory at INL.
"I’m very much an engineer and don’t have a lot of experience in human behavior, so the collaboration with INL was a huge benefit for me. I got better insights into many aspects, including what you want to see when a human has to take over for a machine when it’s no longer working," Fortier states, underscoring the vital role of interdisciplinary knowledge in ensuring both operational efficiency and human safety during transitions between automated and manual control. This partnership highlights a key aspect of advanced automation: it’s not just about replacing humans, but augmenting their capabilities and ensuring seamless, safe interaction.
Beyond national laboratories, Fortier also sought industry insights. She availed herself of collaborations with Westinghouse, a global leader in the design and vendor of current- and next-generation nuclear power plants. A summer internship at Westinghouse in 2025 provided a crucial opportunity to test-drive her ideas on autonomous operations solutions in a practical, industry-relevant context, validating her theoretical frameworks against real-world engineering challenges.
At MIT, Fortier honed her understanding of control theory under the tutelage of one of her co-advisors, Anuradha Annaswamy, a founder and director of the Active-Adaptive Control Laboratory in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. "She’s a control systems expert, which really benefits me because while I can explain what to do with a nuclear power plant, she can help me understand better how to go about operations from a control systems perspective," Fortier explains. Annaswamy provides crucial guidance on the supervisory control system framework and its execution, while Fortier concurrently takes specialized classes to build a robust foundation in control systems. Additionally, Curtis Smith, the former director for INL’s Nuclear Safety and Regulatory Research Division and now KEPCO Professor of the Practice of Nuclear Science and Engineering at MIT NSE, serves as Fortier’s other co-advisor, bringing invaluable experience in nuclear safety and regulatory compliance to her research.
A Systematic Progression Toward Trustworthy Autonomy
Fortier is acutely aware that the successful integration of autonomous systems in a highly safety-conscious industry like nuclear power requires a gradual, systematic approach designed to build trust with users and regulators. The operations systems she is designing are engineered to incorporate a step-by-step progression toward full autonomy. "When we introduce an automated procedure that walks you step by step through what you would be doing anyway, it is reassuring and builds trust," Fortier points out. This approach minimizes disruption and allows operators to gradually familiarize themselves with and gain confidence in automated processes. Her doctoral work emphasizes objective-oriented operations, where the control system can intelligently generate the necessary sequence of events to achieve a specific objective, rather than rigidly adhering to a predetermined, static operating procedure. This adaptive capability is crucial for handling unforeseen circumstances or optimizing performance in dynamic environments.
Crucially, Fortier’s automation strategy is based on a process called finite state automata. Unlike complex, "black box" AI or machine learning models, finite state automata offer unparalleled transparency in their execution. This transparency is a distinct advantage in nuclear applications, where understanding why a system makes a particular decision is paramount for safety and regulatory approval. Fortier studied this extensively during an internship at INL in summer 2024. As a discrete event system, finite state automata operate on clear, event-driven logic: "if this happens, do that." This enables the system to adjust dynamically to current plant conditions and transition between various operational states or events with explicit clarity. "We’re addressing a complex problem through conventional automation, not AI-driven automation," Fortier clarifies. "We’re not using a data-driven statistical approach like machine learning because we do not yet have the tools to validate the operation of such systems." This deliberate choice underscores a commitment to verifiable safety and regulatory compliance, ensuring that every automated action is predictable, explainable, and auditable.
Future Impact and Broader Implications
The potential impact of Fortier’s work on developing automation for nuclear plants has already garnered significant recognition. She was among the distinguished winners of the 2025 Innovations in Nuclear Energy Research and Development Student Competition, a program sponsored by the Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP). Furthermore, as a 2026–2027 MathWorks Engineering Fellow, Fortier will continue to advance this critical research, securing resources and recognition that validate the importance and promise of her contributions.
The deployment of Fortier’s nuclear plant automation program on next-generation equipment is expected to provide the necessary traction for the widespread development and commercial deployment of microreactors. These compact, often factory-fabricated reactors offer numerous advantages: reduced construction times, lower capital costs, and the ability to be sited in diverse locations to provide resilient power for remote communities, industrial applications (e.g., hydrogen production, desalination), and even military bases. By making these smaller reactors more economical to operate through automation, Fortier’s work could unlock a vast new market for nuclear energy, significantly contributing to grid decarbonization, energy security, and local economic development.
Before broad deployment, the work of scaling the supervisory control system will be paramount, requiring careful integration of insights gained from detailed work on specific control aspects. Fortier expresses genuine excitement about the path ahead and the myriad possibilities her research could unlock. "The collaborations with other people, and the relationships we have established with stakeholders, have really helped make an impact and supported the relevancy of the work," she reflects. "Sometimes when you’re stuck in your own bubble, that outside perspective is really useful." This collaborative spirit, combined with a rigorous, safety-first approach to automation, positions Lauren Fortier at the forefront of a movement to make nuclear power not just a viable clean energy source, but an economically competitive and widely accessible one for the future. Her work exemplifies how targeted innovation can overcome historical barriers and usher in a new era for nuclear energy, bolstering national energy independence and global efforts to combat climate change.
