Storrs, CT — The Department of Physics at the University of Connecticut is pleased to announce that Hilton Chanthakhyly, a rising fourth-year undergraduate, has been awarded the Plasmonic Reactor Systems (PRS)-UConn Summer Fellowship, sponsored by PRS, Inc.
The fellowship will support Hilton’s contributions to PRS’s ongoing research and development efforts in laser-driven nuclear energy, giving him direct experience working alongside a technology company built on cutting-edge physics coming out of UConn.
About Plasmonic Reactor Systems
Plasmonic Reactor Systems is a Storrs-based technology company developing a new approach to nuclear energy: compact, table-top, laser-driven modular and micro reactors spanning both fission and fusion. Under the banner “nuclear power without nuclear risk,” PRS is working to make inherently safe, cost-effective nuclear power accessible with a fraction of the infrastructure required by conventional reactor technology.
Since its founding, PRS has moved quickly from concept to results.
Notably, PRS is a home-grown success story, as it is founded by two of UConn’s own: Carlos Trallero, Full Professor of Physics, and Dmitri Kharzeev, who has recently joined UConn to lead the university’s Quantum Institute. Their combined decades of experience in laser and nuclear physics form the scientific foundation on which PRS’s reactor technology is built.
A Fellowship Bridging Classroom and Industry
The PRS-UConn Summer Fellowship reflects the kind of close partnership between University research and private-sector innovation that the Department of Physics is proud to foster. For Hilton, the fellowship offers a rare opportunity: as an undergraduate, he will be contributing directly to R&D work at a company translating frontier laser-plasma physics into real-world energy technology.
The Department of Physics congratulates Hilton on this achievement and looks forward to following his progress over the course of the fellowship.
To learn more about Plasmonic Reactor Systems, visit prs.energy.