03/27/2026
By Amanda Vozzo
Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2026
Time: 3 - 4 p.m.
Location: Olsen 503
Jenifer Shafer, Ben L. Fryrear Presidential Chair and Professor, Department of Chemistry at Colorado School of Mines will give a talk on “Changing the State of Play: How Leveraging Different Oxidation or Chemical States Can ReEngineer the Nuclear Fuel Cycle”
Abstract: The expansion of carbon-free nuclear energy is often stalled by the challenge of "used" fuel management. After power generation, used fuel contains long-lived transuranic elements that dominate the waste's heat and radioactivity for millennia. One path for nuclear waste management leverages separating these elements to recycle them as fuel, but traditional chemical methods struggle to distinguish between certain actinides and inactive fission products. This seminar explores how "changing the state of play" at the molecular level can bypass these legacy barriers and enable a more sustainable nuclear future.
The first half of this talk focuses on the stabilization of hexavalent americium. By utilizing classical chemical principles to access the AmO22+ uranyl-like cation, the chemical behavior of americium is fundamentally altered, allowing for separation efficiencies that are unattainable in traditional systems. This research serves as a case study for how manipulating an element's oxidation state provides the precise leverage needed to simplify complex waste streams.
Building on this, the discussion transitions to how these chemical insights serve as a springboard for broader technological shifts and enablement of a research portfolio. Here we will consider how moving between different chemical states, such as liquid to solid or solid to gas, can redefine the economics and proliferation resistance of the fuel cycle. By integrating molecular-level behavior with macroscale considerations, a path can be set for transforming nuclear waste from a geological liability into a strategic resource for future deployment.
Bio: Jenifer C. Shafer is a Professor of Chemistry at the Colorado School of Mines and an expert in actinide chemistry and nuclear fuel cycle innovation. She recently served as the Associate Director for Technology at the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E), where she provided agency-wide leadership for a research portfolio that deployed over $500M annually in federal funding. During her tenure, she oversaw the development of high-impact programs spanning nuclear energy, industrial decarbonization, and AI strategy, including the initiation of the $48M CURIE program focused on nuclear fuel recycling.
A Fellow of the American Chemical Society and a recipient of the DOE Early Career Award, Shafer has authored approximately 90 peer-reviewed publications. Her academic research focuses on the fundamental coordination chemistry of heavy elements, nuclear forensics, and the development of high-efficiency separation strategies— specifically the stabilization of hexavalent americium. Shafer’s career is defined by her ability to bridge molecular-level discovery with strategic executive leadership to modernize the global energy landscape.