SNU Professor Youho Lee Selected for American Nuclear Society’s “40 Under 40” Honor
- Only Awardee Affiliated with a Non-U.S. Institution
- Recognition Underscores the Growing Global Standing of Korea’s Nuclear Engineering Community

▲ Prof. Youho Lee of the Department of Nuclear Engineering, Seoul National University, selected as a recipient of the ANS 40 Under 40 award

Prof. Youho Lee, of the Department of Nuclear Engineering at Seoul National University (SNU), has been selected as one of the “40 Under 40” honorees by the American Nuclear Society (ANS), which recognizes 40 outstanding professionals under the age of 40 for their contributions to the nuclear science and engineering field.

Among experts from academia, research institutions, industry, and government organizations, Prof. Lee was the only awardee affiliated with an institution outside the United States, a distinction that further elevates the international profile of Korea’s nuclear engineering community.

ANS highlighted several factors in its selection, placing particular emphasis on the impactful research program established by Prof. Lee’s Nuclear Fuel Materials and Safety Laboratory, as well as the innovative nature of his work on chromium-coated accident-tolerant fuel (ATF) and on integrated research linking nuclear materials with reactor systems.

Prof. Lee has conducted extensive research addressing key challenges in nuclear power generation, including accident-tolerant fuels, high-burnup and higher-enrichment nuclear fuels, development of domestically produced nuclear fuel codes, fuel technologies for small modular reactors (SMRs), enriched uranium supply chains, and the safety of dry storage for spent nuclear fuel. His broad collaboration with domestic and international research institutions, mentorship of numerous graduate students, participation in international joint research projects, and contributions to establishing safety criteria for next-generation light-water-reactor fuel have all been cited as important factors behind this recognition.

In an interview, Prof. Lee commented, “Thanks to the outstanding students and fellow researchers at Seoul National University, we have been able to build a nuclear fuel materials research laboratory that is internationally recognized.”

This selection is widely viewed as a clear indication that researchers at Seoul National University are gaining increasing recognition within the global nuclear science and engineering community.