Erick Hoegberg is a fourth-year PhD student in nuclear engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, graduating in the summer of 2026. He earned his bachelor’s in nuclear engineering and mathematics. Erick’s research focuses on developing advanced radiation detection systems that advance the DOE mission across its portfolio, including those offered by DOE user facilities that use neutrons, as well as within the nuclear security realm. His collaborators include ORNL (Spallation Neutron Source), Northwestern University, and RMD Inc. Erick’s training in developing radiation detection systems has prepared him for commercially developing novel technologies that support the mission of DOE’s energy portfolio and the strategic mission of the United States across multiple sectors.
Represented Organization
DiNeu Technologies
Key Innovation
Our team will commercialize a material control and accountancy tool for alpha-emitting radioisotopes that will provide actionable information in near–real time at a fraction of the cost of current technologies. Actionable information includes when to proceed with processing or disposing of nuclear material, aspects of nonproliferation and nuclear security, and quality control in isotope production and medical applications of alpha-emitting species (e.g., plutonium-238 production and targeted alpha therapies).
Our technology uses a diamond semiconductor coupled with microfluidic technology to perform alpha spectroscopy with high precision, meaning we can identify elements, including specific isotopes, within a solution. The initial development of the diamond-based microfluidic alpha spectrometer (DiMAS) has been supported by the Advanced Research Projects Agency– Energy (ARPA-E; $2.4 million), with follow-on funding from Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC/Y-12 National Security Complex (~$500,000). Nuclear Energy University Program funding and ARPA-E Plus-Up funding, as well as private investment opportunities, are pending. Current industry interest beyond DOE laboratories includes Curio, Oklo, University of Alabama at Birmingham, and R&D scientists across the country.
ORNL Principal Investigator
- Kristian Myhre - Senior R&D Staff, Isotope Applications Research, Radioisotope Science and Technology Division, Isotope Science and Enrichment Directorate