9/2/2026 Phillip Kisubika
Written by Phillip Kisubika
Dr. Caleb Brooks, a faculty member in the Department of Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering, has been named an Abel Bliss Professor in The Grainger College of Engineering.
The appointment recognizes Brooks’ contributions to nuclear engineering and will support his group’s efforts to connect fundamental university research with the practical challenges of deploying new nuclear technologies.
“It is a tremendous honor to become an Abel Bliss Professor in Engineering at the University of Illinois,” Brooks said. “This achievement is not possible without an incredible group of research staff, students, and collaborators, and I see it as recognition of what we have been able to do together.”
Brooks joined the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty in 2014. His research encompasses advanced reactor designs, reactor thermal hydraulics, two-phase flow and heat transfer, and reactor transient and accident analysis. In 2026, he also became director of the Illinois Nuclear Power Institute, a Grainger Engineering initiative focused on advancing nuclear power research, education and engagement.
Although experimental thermal hydraulics and multiphase flows remain the technical foundation of his work, Brooks and his collaborators have increasingly crossed traditional disciplinary boundaries to address the needs of an emerging nuclear industry.
“I hope this professorship reflects a willingness to take on difficult engineering problems and the capability of our group to build teams toward solving them,” Brooks said. “Ultimately, this is a reflection of the commitment of excellent students, research staff, and collaborators in the department and across the college and campus.”
That collaborative approach is especially important as advanced nuclear technologies move closer to real-world use. While interest in new nuclear energy systems is growing, Brooks said realizing their potential will require researchers and industry partners to answer difficult engineering questions, navigate deployment challenges and demonstrate that new systems can be built and operated successfully.
His group’s work sits at the intersection of fundamental research, state and federal policy, and industry needs. Brooks hopes the support associated with the professorship will allow the group to pursue ambitious ideas, expand collaborations and create additional opportunities for students at all levels.
“There is an important opportunity right now to connect the fundamental research strengths of universities with the practical challenges associated with deploying new nuclear technologies,” Brooks said. “I want our group to continue advancing the underlying science and engineering while also helping translate those advances into technologies that can be proven.”
That translational focus extends beyond the traditional boundaries of a nuclear power plant. Emerging systems could pair nuclear energy with advanced manufacturing, data centers, district energy and other energy-intensive industrial processes. Each application presents new questions about how nuclear technologies are designed, constructed, operated and integrated with the systems they serve.
Brooks wants his research group to help solve those problems—and ensure that promising solutions make the transition from university research into practice.
“New nuclear has a lot of potential to reimagine many fundamental aspects of nuclear technologies, their construction, operation and end-use application,” he said. “It’s a great time to be a nuclear engineer.”
“Professor Caleb Brooks has led the department on multiple fronts,” said Rizwan Uddin, NPRE professor and department head. “His research has advanced our understanding of multiphase phenomena, while his mentorship of emerging leaders has become a hallmark of our program.
“He has also represented NPRE, The Grainger College of Engineering, and the University of Illinois through his leadership in our microreactor program. Most recently, Professor Brooks was appointed the inaugural director of the Illinois Nuclear Power Institute, an R&D hub dedicated to addressing critical challenges in nuclear power deployment. His exceptional record of research, mentorship, and leadership makes him an ideal choice for the Abel Bliss Professorship.”
Students and research staff have played a central role in shaping Brooks’ career and the evolution of his research program. He credits their initiative and expertise, along with collaborations within NPRE and across the college and campus, with helping the group take on increasingly multidisciplinary challenges.
Brooks earned his bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering from Purdue University in 2008 and his doctorate from Purdue’s School of Nuclear Engineering in 2014. At Illinois, his teaching has included courses in nuclear reactor heat transfer, nuclear systems engineering and design, computational multiphase flow, and modeling nuclear energy systems.
For Brooks, preparing students to lead the field is as important as producing the knowledge needed to advance it.
“My main hope is for students to feel equipped and capable for successful and impactful careers of their own,” he said.
He also hopes the group’s research can help remove barriers to the safe and responsible deployment of nuclear power. Access to abundant and reliable energy, he said, is closely tied to economic opportunity, quality of life, and national and global security. Nuclear energy can provide large quantities of reliable power with a relatively small physical and environmental footprint, but fulfilling that promise will depend on addressing tangible technical and deployment challenges.
“If we can contribute both the knowledge needed to advance nuclear energy and the people who will lead that work for the next generation, I think that would be a meaningful contribution beyond the university,” Brooks said.
The Bliss Professorships were established through a bequest from Helen Eva Bliss in memory of her father, Abel Bliss Jr., who entered the University of Illinois in 1872 to study civil engineering. Helen Bliss graduated from Illinois in 1911 with a degree in liberal arts and sciences. Her bequest supports professorships and other projects intended to advance the scholarly activities of engineering at Illinois.