New Congressional Fellows announced for 2025
The American Nuclear Society recently selected two of its members to serve as the 2025 Glenn T. Seaborg Congressional Science and Engineering Fellows. The 2025 Congressional Fellows, Jacob Christensen and Mike Woosley, will help the Society fulfill its strategic goal of enhancing nuclear policy by working in the halls of Congress, either in a congressional member’s personal office or with a committee, when their fellowship term begins in January.
“The Congressional Fellowship program has put ANS in a unique position to provide significant technical assistance to Congress on nuclear science, energy, and technology, with great results,” said Harsh Desai, a former Congressional Fellow who is now chair of the Congressional Fellowship Special Committee. “This once-in-a-lifetime professional development opportunity will allow them to learn the art of policymaking and potentially pursue it as part of their careers beyond the fellowship.”
The new fellows
Introducing Jacob Christensen: Christensen is currently finishing his master’s degree at Brigham Young University, where he also received his B.S. in chemical engineering and a minor in Mandarin. In order to participate in the fellowship, he had to switch from the Ph.D. in chemical engineering he had been pursuing to a master’s. His research has focused on uranium and fission product behaviors in molten fluoride salts, with a primary focus on uranium electrochemistry in FLiBe.
During his undergraduate years, several universities in Utah sent student delegations to the state capital to act as visiting policy experts on nuclear technology. That was Christiansen’s first direct exposure to the intersection of science and policymaking, and it impressed on him the importance of lawmakers having access to technical expertise while considering legislation. “This experience was a major motivation for me to apply for the ANS Congressional Fellowship,” he said in an email to Nuclear News.
Christensen is interested in the policy topics of enabling advanced reactor development and deployment, strengthening domestic fuel supply chains, increasing domestic radioisotope production, and ensuring that U.S. international policy on nuclear collaboration aligns with our strategic goals for security, safety, energy research and development, and nonproliferation.
“I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to serve as a Glenn T. Seaborg Congressional Fellow in 2025,” he said. “Next year will be transformational for me, and I look forward to bringing my knowledge and skills to the Capitol to help craft informed policy.”
Introducing Mike Woosley: Woosley holds a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from the University of Virginia and is a recipient of a U.S. Department of Energy fellowship. He has conducted research at Idaho, Oak Ridge, and Los Alamos National Laboratories. “I have an ardent interest in energy and climate, nuclear energy, hydrogen economy, energy transformation, robotics, and the risks and rewards of the application AI to problems in science and physics,” Woosley said in an email to Nuclear News.
Woosley has served as chief operating officer or chief financial officer of three successful venture-backed start-ups in digital technology, collectively raising over $500 million in debt and equity for these enterprises. He was also the operations manager for finalists in the Desert and Urban Challenges, autonomous vehicle competitions that are funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) .
Woosley recalled a recent conversation with a colleague that he has never seen such positive and universal momentum for nuclear during his career. “Stakeholders of all stripes and institutions are embracing it. We are seeing advances in new and evolutionary technology from molten salt to liquid metal. We are seeing rapid capital formation, support on both sides of the aisle, and encouragement from environmentalists, social justice advocates, and regulatory and policy stakeholders,” he added.
“There has never been a better time to advance the industry,” Woosley said. “I am humbled that the American Nuclear Society is entrusting me to help advance the industry’s interests in Congress.”
John Starkey, director of public policy at ANS, is excited to host Jacob and Mike as Congressional Fellows in 2025. He believes this year will be important to maintain momentum in support of nuclear on the Hill.
“With the 119th Congress kicking off next year and a bevy of postelection newcomers expected to relocate to our nation's capital, it's important we continue placing ANS technical experts in positions to educate lawmakers and advance nuclear energy, science, and technology legislation at the federal level,” Starkey said.
