Fuel Ceramic Engineer

About the role

Nano Nuclear Energy is seeking a Fuel Ceramic Engineer to lead the development of ceramic body and pellet fabrication processes for advanced nuclear fuel. This is a hands-on opportunity to take technical ownership of critical manufacturing processes, solve complex materials challenges, and help scale fabrication methods from laboratory development toward production. You will work directly with materials, equipment, and experimental campaigns while collaborating with fuel coating, characterization, qualification, and other engineering teams.

Location: Oak Ridge, TN (hybrid). Relocation package available.

• Technical ownership: Lead the development of ceramic fuel body and pellet fabrication processes.
• Hands-on engineering: Work directly with materials, fabrication equipment, and laboratory and demonstration-facility campaigns.
• Advanced technology: Address complex challenges involving ceramic materials, TRISO particle integrity, microstructure, and dimensional stability.
• Manufacturing scale-up: Help establish repeatable processes, improve yield, and advance fabrication toward production readiness.
• Cross-functional collaboration: Partner with fuel coating, qualification, materials characterization, quality, and other technical teams.

Responsibilities

• Develop and optimize ceramic feedstocks, powders, binders, forming methods, thermal processing, densification, and finishing.
• Establish process parameters and controls to achieve target material properties, dimensions, and TRISO particle distribution while minimizing defects.
• Execute fabrication campaigns, operate equipment, troubleshoot processes, and evaluate material performance.
• Investigate manufacturing defects and implement improvements to process consistency, quality, and yield.
• Develop scale-up strategies for progressing from laboratory fabrication to pilot and production-representative manufacturing.
• Maintain technical records, process traceability, and characterization data to support fuel qualification.
• Coordinate with multidisciplinary teams to align fabrication processes with downstream coating and qualification requirements.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in ceramic engineering, materials science, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, nuclear engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Experience in advanced ceramics, ceramic composites, nuclear fuel, powder processing, high-temperature materials, or comparable manufacturing.
• Hands-on experience preparing ceramic materials, operating fabrication or thermal-processing equipment, and troubleshooting experimental processes.
• Strong knowledge of ceramic processing, densification, microstructure, dimensional control, and defect mechanisms.
• Ability to connect process parameters with material properties and translate laboratory methods into controlled pilot or production-intent processes.