Prof. Michael P Short

Associate Professor in Nuclear Engineering
Margaret MacVicar Faculty Fellow

Primary DLC

Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering

MIT Room: 24-204

Research Summary

Michael Short, an Associate Professor in the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering, develops new materials and measurement methods to usher in the next generation of safe and scalable nuclear power. He is currently focused on choosing and proving structural materials for fusion reactors, creating tools to measure tiny amounts of radiation damage for nuclear non-proliferation, and stopping corrosion and fouling in the most extreme energy production environments.

Recent Work

  • Video

    11.15-16.23-RD-Short

    November 16, 2023Conference Video Duration: 40:24
    Fusion Energy Moving Forward at MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC) 

    2021-RD-Michael-Short

    November 18, 2021Conference Video Duration: 31:11
    Michael Short
    Norman C Rasmussen Career Development Associate Professor in Nuclear Engineering
    MIT Department of Nuclear Science & Engineering

    Industry-Ready Nuclear Solutions

    May 9, 2018MIT Faculty Feature Duration: 27:55

    Michael Short
    Norman C. Rasmussen Assistant Professor of Nuclear Science and Engineering

    Michael Short - 2018 Japan Conference

    February 2, 2018Conference Video Duration: 44:39

    Accelerating Innovation in the Energy Sector: Science-Based, Industry-Ready Solutions

    The impact of energy production in our lives stands in stark contrast to the speed, or lack thereof, in solving the most expensive and pervasive issues in energy production. Examples range from the continuing prevalence of fouling, which drains 0.25% of the GDP of developed countries, to the lack of ways to quantify damage to materials. The Mesoscale Nuclear Materials group at MIT (MIT-MNM) focuses on science-based solutions to these "dirty issues," combining branches of physics and engineering to produce industry-ready solutions in years, not decades. We will focus on three issues facing the nuclear industry as well as others: (1) The formation and prevention of CRUD in reactors, (2) rapid qualification of new materials during irradiation, and (3) the stored energy fingerprints of radiation damage as a new way to quantify damage to materials.