Dr. Areg Danagoulian

Associate Professor

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Biography

Areg Danagoulian is an Associate Professor in the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He completed his PhD in Experimental Nuclear Physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he focused on experiments involving real Compton scattering of protons to explore their internal structure. After his doctoral work, Areg conducted postdoctoral research at Los Alamos National Laboratory and later became a senior scientist at Passport Systems, Inc. (PSI). Here, he developed the Prompt Neutron Photofission (PNPF) technique, aimed at the rapid detection of shielded fissionable materials in commercial cargo traffic. His current research interests center on the applications of nuclear physics to nuclear security, particularly in the fields of nuclear nonproliferation, treaty verification technologies, and cargo security. Areg has been recognized with several prestigious awards, including being a Fellow of the American Physical Society and receiving the 2025 American Nuclear Society Radiation Science and Technology Award. He has also received the 2019 Arms Control Association’s Arms Control Person of the Year award for his innovative developments in nuclear disarmament verification processes using neutron beams.

Research Interests

Experience

Postdoctoral Researcher

— Present

Los Alamos National Laboratory •

Senior Scientist

— Present

Passport Systems, Inc. •

Awards

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Fellow

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Radiation Science and Technology Award

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Arms Control Person of the Year

Courses

22.09 Nuclear Detection Laboratory (graduate) 22.90 Nuclear Detection Laboratory (graduate) 22.S902 Advanced Nuclear Laboratory (graduate) 22.101 Applied Nuclear Physics (graduate) 22.071 Analog Electronics (undergraduate) 22.12 Nuclear Reactions (graduate) 22.11 Applied Nuclear Physics (graduate)