Steve Zinkle aims to help build a better nuclear reactor. His focus is on developing high-performance, radiation-resistant materials for advanced nuclear fission and fusion energy applications.

Zinkle is using ions and neutrons to explore the stability and thermal conductivity of certain fuels. He is also researching accident-tolerant fuel systems for reactors in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster in Japan.

He holds a joint appointment in the UT Departments of Nuclear Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering.