This year’s NNSA Graduate Fellowship Program (NGFP) cohort was not only the largest in the Program’s history, but it was also the first to complete the entire fellowship virtually.
National Nuclear Security Administration
May 20, 2021
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This year’s NNSA Graduate Fellowship Program (NGFP) cohort was not only the largest in the Program’s history, but it was also the first to complete the entire fellowship virtually. The fellows celebrated the completion of their program at a virtual ceremony May 10, 2021. Nearly 250 participants, including NGFP alumni, supervisors, mentors, and program staff also attended the celebration.
The NGFP develops high-potential professionals and equips them with the training they need to strengthen our Nation through nuclear security. The NGFP started more than 26 years ago with just three fellows, and since then, it has become a robust and renowned institution for recruiting, developing, and retaining top talent in the NNSA’s Nuclear Security Enterprise. With the completion of this class, more than 600 fellows have participated in the Program to date, and more than 85% have accepted positions with ties to the national security sector.
Dr. Charles Verdon, acting DOE Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and NNSA Administrator joined the celebrants and praised the fellows.
“Your commitment to grow and serve as future leaders revitalizes our Nuclear Security Enterprise with a generation of diversely skilled professionals and your timing could not be more meaningful,” said Dr. Verdon in his keynote. “This year, more than any other, has demonstrated that our workforce – just like our technology and policies –must be adaptable and resilient.”
Already – and while doing so virtually – this year’s NGFP fellows have made valuable contributions to our key national security missions at home and abroad. That included completing the Aspiring Leadership Certificate Program, a recent addition to the NGFP curriculum. During the ceremony, students showcased posters highlighting their cohort experiences, including collaborating with leading national security experts from around the globe, supporting efforts advancing emerging technologies, and providing technical assistance for experiments and operations at NNSA sites.
Fellows also coordinated deliverables and participation in key events such as:
- A bilateral safeguards and security workshop with Sudan’s nuclear regulatory agency;
- Technology maturation and task execution at Savannah River National Laboratory;
- Interagency coordination for the U.S.-South Korea Nuclear Security Working Group; and
- An X-Ray Detector Development Workshop focused on detection and diagnostic development.
“NGFP was a key steppingstone on the path toward my dream career. The training and experience I have gained will inform my work for years to come,” said Ashley Curtis, a fellow in the Office of International Nuclear Safeguards.
The NGFP is managed by NNSA’s Office of Management and Budget, funded by NNSA offices, and administered in partnership by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The program is an opportunity for NNSA to recruit, train and potentially hire the next generation of nuclear security leaders. And it continues to gain steam. In fact, the incoming class is already larger than this year’s outgoing cohort!
Learn more about NGFP at PNNL’s website here.