Braden Goddard, Ph.D., assistant professor in VCU’s Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, has received a Young Former Student Award from Texas A&M University's Department of Nuclear Engineering.

Goddard, who came to VCU in 2016, has more than 10 peer-reviewed journal publications and more than 20 conference proceedings. He is principal investigator for VCU’s Nuclear Security and Nonproliferation Laboratory.

Texas A&M established the Young Former Student Award in 2018 to recognize excellence in professional leadership and contributions to the nuclear field. Students who graduated in the last 10 years from Texas A&M’s nuclear engineering program, one of the biggest in the U.S., were eligible to apply. Goddard is one of three recipients.

He returned to his alma mater on October 5, 2018, to accept the award and deliver a speech titled, “Success through knowledge and the Aggie network.”