Two UNR research projects have received awards of nearly $1 million each for energy projects

Nov. 6, 2026

Projects will detect mercury in disposal processes and improve understanding of fusion technologies

RENO, Nev. — Two research projects at the University of Nevada, Reno have received awards of nearly $1 million each from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Both projects will receive funding over four years and will generate training opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students at UNR, who will work with leading scientists in their discipline.

The awards are part of DOE's Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DOE EPSCoR), which supports partnerships between universities in eligible states and DOE national laboratories to advance fundamental, early-stage energy research. The program aims to strengthen research capabilities in participating states while providing students with hands-on research and training opportunities alongside national laboratory scientists.

Krista Carlson, an associate professor in Materials Science and Engineering in the College of Engineering, has received a $1 million award to improve mercury detection and capture. Mercury is released into an off-gas stream when radioactive and hazardous waste at the Hanford Site in Washington State is converted to glass for safe, permanent disposal. Carlson’s project will investigate sorbents, which can capture mercury to reduce disposal toxicity. The team also includes co-investigators Professor Dev Chidambaram, from Materials Science and Engineering, and Professor Mae Gustin and Research Assistant Professor Sarrah Dunham-Cheatham from the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology & Natural Resources.

“The sorbent selected for Hanford’s off-gas system is no longer being manufactured by the supplier, so alternatives must be identified,” Carlson said. “Another challenge is effectively identifying and capturing all the different forms of mercury that could be present. Mercury detection and abatement from the off-gas directly supports the DOE's Office of Environmental Management mission of waste remediation in a way that protects workers, the public, and the environment.”

Hiroshi Sawada, an associate professor in the Department of Physics in the College of Science, has received a $989,916 award to develop advanced diagnostic tools and establish a new experimental platform using an X-ray free-electron laser at the Matter in Extreme Conditions (MEC) instrument of the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), located at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in California. Sawada uses powerful lasers to explore high-density plasmas, used in fusion experiments. The diagnostic tools developed by Sawada and his collaborators will improve understanding of these technologies.

“This new capability will allow us to explore the behavior of high-density plasmas under conditions that have been difficult to probe,” Sawada said. “Experiments combining long- and short-pulse lasers have been conducted at single-shot facilities, but measuring conditions inside dense plasmas remains challenging, particularly under high-intensity laser irradiation, which generates strong radiation backgrounds that can interfere with measurements.”

“DOE EPSCoR investments like these strengthen Nevada’s research capacity by connecting our faculty and students with the expertise and resources of the nation’s leading laboratories,” Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation, Mridul Gautam, said. “These awards give our researchers the opportunity to tackle complex energy challenges while building expertise and training the next generation of scientists and engineers here in Nevada.”

– @unevadareno –

The University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) is a public research university that is committed to turning applied research, regional innovation and graduate success into momentum that has global reach. As a Nevada land-grant university founded in 1874, UNR is a comprehensive, doctoral university, classified as an R1 institution with very high research activity by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Additionally, it has attained the prestigious “Carnegie Engaged” classification, reflecting its student and institutional impact on civic engagement and service, fostered by extensive community and statewide collaborations. UNR’s students, world-class faculty and dedicated staff transform society's most urgent challenges into opportunities for world-changing solutions and immense state impact. It contributes $2.2 billion annually to our state’s economy, supporting the equivalent of more than 23,000 jobs. UNR is home to the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Wolf Pack Athletics and the University of Nevada at Lake Tahoe. The institution maintains a statewide outreach mission and presence through programs such as the University of Nevada, Reno Extension, Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, Small Business Development Center and Nevada Seismological Laboratory and is part of the Nevada System of Higher Education. Through a commitment to world-improving research, student success and outreach benefiting the communities and businesses of Nevada, UNR has impact across the state and around the world. For more information, visit www.unr.edu.

Media Contact:
Michelle Werdann
Communications Specialist
College of Science
mwerdann@unr.edu
Office: 775-682-8786
Cell: 775-848-2227
Nevada Today: www.unr.edu/nevada-today