Areg Danagoulian

Areg Danagoulian is an Associate Professor of Nuclear Science and Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he conducts research at the intersection of nuclear physics and security applications. His work focuses on developing technological solutions for nuclear nonproliferation, arms control, and cargo security.

Dr. Danagoulian earned his PhD in Experimental Nuclear Physics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where his thesis focused on real Compton scattering on the proton at 2-6 GeV to probe the proton's internal structure. Following his PhD, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Los Alamos National Laboratory and then as a senior scientist at Passport Systems, Inc. (PSI), where he developed the Prompt Neutron from Photofission (PNPF) technique for detecting shielded fissionable materials in cargo traffic.

His research interests span multiple critical areas in nuclear security, including arms control verification technologies, nuclear nonproliferation methods, cargo security systems, and nuclear detection techniques. Dr. Danagoulian's work on nuclear resonance phenomena for warhead verification represents groundbreaking contributions to the field of nuclear disarmament verification.

Dr. Danagoulian's research has earned him significant recognition, including:

• Fellow of the American Physical Society, Forum on Physics and Society (2025) - "For seminal technological contributions in the field of arms control and cargo security, which significantly benefit international security"
• Arms Control Association's Arms Control Person(s) of the Year award (2020) - "For developing an innovative new nuclear disarmament verification process using neutron beams"
• American Nuclear Society Radiation Science and Technology Award (2019) - "For technology-critical contributions exploiting nuclear resonance phenomena for warhead verification in nuclear disarmament and nuclear detection techniques in cargo security"

In addition to his research, Dr. Danagoulian is actively involved in teaching and mentoring. He serves as faculty co-director for MIT's MISTI Eurasia program and teaches several graduate courses including Nuclear Detection Laboratory (22.09, 22.90), Advanced Nuclear Laboratory (22.s902), and Applied Nuclear Physics (22.101). His teaching approach emphasizes hands-on laboratory experience to prepare students for real-world nuclear detection challenges.

Dr. Danagoulian leads the Laboratory for Applied Nuclear Physics (LANPh) at MIT, where his team develops innovative technologies for nuclear security applications. Current research directions include nuclear resonance transmission analysis for material identification, portable detection systems for cargo security, and cryptographic approaches to nuclear warhead verification that protect sensitive information while enabling verification.