Taylor Loy brings a diverse academic/professional background to the problems of nonproliferation. He is a PhD candidate in the Department of Science, Technology, & Society (STS) at Virginia Tech. His dissertation research focuses on the potential for and value of tritium control in nonproliferation regimes. Building off of Martin Kalinowksi's landmark text, International Control of Tritium for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament (2004), he considers recent shifts in nuclear weapons policy and material practices including (1) the ratification of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and (2) the U.S. production of tritium in commercial light water reactors to maintain their nuclear weapon stockpile. Additionally, since tritium-fueled fusion reactors may soon be viable, it is essential that tritium supply chains are systematically safeguarded. He has presented tritium-related research at the Society for History of Technology (SHOT) 2021 Conference (co-authored with Sonja Schmid) and The Future of Disarmament Workshop in 2021 (University of Glasgow).
Before returning to graduate school to pursue a PhD, he worked in the nuclear power industry for 6+ years in operations and training. During that time, he started out as an assistant unit operator trainee and progressed to a senior reactor operator certified instructor for initial license training. Taylor holds graduate degrees (MA/MS) in English and STS from Virginia Tech. In 2021, he completed a cross-disciplinary graduate certificate in Nuclear Science, Technology, and Policy.