Biography:Kathryn Huff
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Kathryn Huff | |
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| Assistant Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Energy | |
| In office May 11, 2022 – May 3, 2024 | |
| President | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Rita Baranwal |
| Succeeded by | Theodore J. Garrish |
| Personal details | |
| Education | University of Chicago (BA) University of Wisconsin–Madison (PhD) |
Kathryn D. Huff is an American engineer who served as the assistant secretary for the Office of Nuclear Energy from 2022 to 2024. She is currently an associate professor[1][2] at the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign.
Early life and education
Huff attended high school in Bellville, Texas before graduating from the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science. During high school, she also took mathematics and science courses at the University of North Texas. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in physics from the University of Chicago and a PhD in nuclear engineering from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.[3] Huff has a twin sister.[4]
Career
In 2003 and 2004, Huff worked as a research assistant at the Los Alamos National Laboratory.[5] She also worked as a research assistant at the University of Chile and Kavli Institute for Cosmology.[6] In 2010, she was an intern at the Idaho National Laboratory, specializing in advanced nuclear energy systems integration. From 2011 to 2013, Huff was a graduate researcher at Argonne National Laboratory. After finishing her PhD, she was Postdoctoral Fellow at the Berkeley Institute for Data Science and the Nuclear Science and Security Consortium. In August 2016, Huff began an assistant professorship at the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign.[7] In May 2021, Huff was selected to serve as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and Acting Assistant Secretary for the Office of Nuclear Energy.[8] In January 2022, Huff was nominated to serve as Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy, for the Department of Energy. She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 5, 2022, by an 80–11 vote and sworn in on May 11, 2022.[9][10] She resigned on May 3, 2024, returning to the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign as an associate professor. [7][11] In 2025, Huff appeared on astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson's Startalk show to discuss the future of nuclear energy and how to improve public understanding of nuclear safety. [12]
References
- ↑ "Dusting off the cobwebs: NPRE's Katy Huff returns to academia after time at Department of Energy". https://npre.illinois.edu/news/stories/huff-return-doe.
- ↑ "Katy Huff". https://npre.illinois.edu/people/profile/kdhuff.
- ↑ "Energy justice for all: a conversation with Kathryn Huff from the Department of Energy | Argonne National Laboratory" (in en). January 7, 2022. https://www.anl.gov/article/energy-justice-for-all-a-conversation-with-kathryn-huff-from-the-department-of-energy.
- ↑ "Kathryn Huff, Ph.D. '04 | Texas Academy of Mathematics & Science". https://tams.unt.edu/alumni/spotlights/kathryn-huff-phd.
- ↑ "Q&A: Acting Assistant Secretary Dr. Kathryn Huff Shares Her Vision for the Future of Nuclear Energy" (in en). https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/qa-acting-assistant-secretary-dr-kathryn-huff-shares-her-vision-future-nuclear-energy.
- ↑ "Assistant Secretary for the Office of Nuclear Energy Dr. Kathryn Huff Looks to a Greener Future" (in en). https://chicagomaroon.com/40245/news/uncommon-interview-assistant-secretary-for-the-office-of-nuclear-energy-dr-kathryn-huff/.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Nuclear, Plasma & Radiological Engineering, The Grainger College of Engineering. "Katy Huff" (in en). https://npre.illinois.edu/people/profile/kdhuff.
- ↑ "Dr. Kathryn Huff" (in en). https://www.energy.gov/ne/person/dr-kathryn-huff.
- ↑ "President Biden Announces Nominees for Ambassadors and Key Roles" (in en-US). 2022-01-19. https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/01/19/president-biden-announces-nominees-for-ambassadors-and-key-roles/.
- ↑ "Statement by Secretary Granholm on U.S. Senate Confirmation of Dr. Kathryn Huff" (in en). May 5, 2022. https://www.energy.gov/articles/statement-secretary-granholm-us-senate-confirmation-dr-kathryn-huff.
- ↑ Wolfe, Sean (2024-04-16). "Top U.S. nuclear energy official to step down" (in en-US). https://www.power-eng.com/nuclear/top-u-s-nuclear-energy-official-to-step-down/.
- ↑ "Kathryn Huff and Neil deGrasse Tyson talk nuclear" (in en). https://www.ans.org/news/2025-03-03/article-6808/kathryn-huff-and-neil-degrasse-tyson-talk-nuclear/.
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