Energy, Cyber Win: Idaho National Lab Solidifies Research Partnership with LSU

BATON ROUGE — LSU and Battelle Energy Alliance, the company that manages Idaho National Laboratory (INL), have agreed to collaborate in areas of mutual interest, including cybersecurity and advanced nuclear technology, under a memorandum of understanding, or MOU. The MOU to be signed on Friday, March 28 aims to accelerate technology and talent development in Louisiana for the nation. This is the first formal partnership between a national lab and a university in Louisiana.

INL is one of 17 national labs under the U.S. Department of Energy. INL’s mission to secure the nation’s energy future and critical infrastructure aligns directly with LSU’s Scholarship First Agenda, where energy innovation and cybersecurity are top priorities for research.

“This is a tremendous step for LSU and Louisiana,” LSU President William F. Tate IV said. “Our partnership with Idaho National Lab will yield great benefits for our state and its talent base, and leans heavily on our Scholarship First priorities in energy and cybersecurity. We look forward to building more teams that win.”

“This collaboration is important for the economic strength of Louisiana, and therefore the strength and competitiveness of our nation as we redefine American leadership in energy-intense, secure manufacturing and industry,” said Steven Aumeier, senior advisor for strategic programs at INL, which is home to more than 6,400 researchers and staff focused on nuclear research, renewable energy systems, and security solutions. “This is the new frontier of economic competition, and advanced nuclear energy will be a major part of that equation.”

The MOU positions LSU and INL to connect students, faculty, and researchers in two immediate areas of shared interest: cybersecurity for critical energy infrastructure—a frequent target for cyberattacks—and the development of technology related to applications of small modular reactors, or SMRs, which are new types of nuclear reactors with higher efficiency and inherent safety features. SMRs could be used in industrial settings to power a wide range of manufacturing activities with high reliability.

“Small modular reactors are of great interest to Louisiana’s leading chemical and petrochemical manufacturing industry because of their ability to continuously generate electricity and heat,” said John Flake, associate vice president of research and a professor of chemical engineering at LSU. “These companies are working hard to stay competitive in response to global market demands. Adding advanced nuclear power to the chemical industry provides a huge opportunity for innovation led by LSU and INL teams.”

As the state’s flagship university, LSU has a strong history of producing talent and research to support Louisiana’s chemical and manufacturing industries. The state produces about one-third of the nation’s chemicals, one-sixth of its refined fuels, and almost two-thirds of its liquefied natural gas exports. Louisiana is also becoming a major development home for advanced data and AI centers, whose evolving energy demands underscore the importance of applied research and development partnerships like the INL and LSU effort.

“Idaho National Lab’s leadership in energy security is ultimately about national security,” said Greg Trahan, director of economic development and special advisor to President Tate on cybersecurity at LSU. “Coupling LSU’s increasing national strength in cybersecurity to Louisiana’s tremendous critical infrastructure for energy is the Scholarship First Agenda in action. We’ve been working closely with INL on cyber efforts for several years and formalizing our partnership underscores what we’ve known—LSU cybersecurity graduates are among the most technical and coveted in the country.”

Last December, INL’s Frontiers team toured LSU’s campus and visited its Petroleum Engineering Research, Training & Testing Lab to explore opportunities for collaboration. In the past year, INL supported six cybersecurity interns and hired two graduates of LSU’s Scholarship for Service cyber program, supported by the National Science Foundation.

The MOU will be signed this Friday, March 28 at the Frontiers Project Meeting in downtown Baton Rouge, Louisiana, hosted by the Atlantic Council. The event will be livestreamed and recorded.

About Idaho National Laboratory

Battelle Energy Alliance manages INL for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy. INL is the nation’s center for nuclear energy research and development, and performs research in each of DOE’s strategic goal areas: energy, national security, science, and the environment. For more information, visit www.inl.gov. Follow INL on social media: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.