Ever wondered how nuclear energy works or what advanced nuclear technology really means? Naked Nuclear breaks down complex topics like nuclear reactors, fuel types, and emerging technologies into simple, accessible conversations. Whether you're a curious beginner or an energy enthusiast, we make the science behind nuclear power easy to understand so you can launch your career in the clean energy future. Tune in to strip down the fascinating world of nuclear energy—one atom at a time.
I&C with Tighe Smith: The Nervous System of a Nuclear Reactor
ABOUT THIS EPISODE
What keeps a nuclear power plant running safely after 50 years? Tighe Smith knows better than almost anyone. As Chief Nuclear Officer at Paragon Energy Solutions — now part of Mirion Technologies following a $585 million acquisition — Tighe has spent his career in nuclear instrumentation and control (I&C): the nervous system of every reactor.
In this episode, we get into what I&C actually does, why some of the control systems inside U.S. nuclear plants predate the transistor, how Paragon reverse-engineers obsolete circuit cards with 1970s components, and how they broker spare parts between 94* reactors across the country — 3,000 parts a year, same-day or next-day shipping. Plus: the workforce reality of digital upgrades, advanced reactor design, and a culture built on three P's and three C's.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
- What instrumentation and control (I&C) is and why it's the most invisible-but-critical system in any nuclear plant
- Why some U.S. reactor control systems still use technology from before the transistor was invented
- How Paragon reverse-engineers obsolete circuit cards — and why rotating a transistor 90 degrees can introduce failure modes
- The PEAKS program: how 3,000 parts move between 94 reactors every year
- Why nuclear plants carry $100 million in spare parts inventory (and why it's worth it)
- The analog vs. digital debate: why a digital upgrade only makes sense if you're planning to run a plant for 20+ more years
- How I&C changes for advanced reactors — simpler safety systems, new challenges
- Paragon's Three P's (Present, Persistent, Passionate) and Three C's (Competence, Commitment, Character)
CONNECT WITH PARAGON/MIRION
LinkedIn (Tighe Smith): Search "Tighe Smith Paragon Energy Solutions"
Paragon Energy Solutions (now Mirion Technologies): https://www.mirion.com/ (https://www.mirion.com/)
Mirion Technologies LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mirion-technologies/ (https://www.linkedin.com/company/mirion-technologies/)
RESOURCES MENTIONED
- HIPS (Highly Integrated Protection System) — Paragon's FPGA-based digital safety platform
- Core Vision — Paragon's neutron monitoring product line
- PEAKS — Paragon's nuclear spare parts network program
- 10 CFR 50 — NRC domestic licensing requirements
- Three Mile Island accident and lessons for human-machine interface design
- NRC maintenance and testing requirements for nuclear facilities
JOIN THE NUCLEAR WORKFORCE
The nuclear industry is growing, and companies like Paragon/Mirion need engineers, technicians, and trades workers with the right skills and the right character.
Are you a skilled professional interested in nuclear? Nuclear Talent Scout connects candidates with nuclear employers.
Apply here: https://nucleartalentscout.com/apply/ (https://nucleartalentscout.com/apply/)
ABOUT NAKED NUCLEAR
Naked Nuclear is the podcast that pulls back the curtain on the nuclear industry — no hype, no fear, just real conversations with the people doing the work. Hosted by Danielle Allen.
Website: www.nakednuclear.com (www.nakednuclear.com)
31 Jul 2026
Follow The Friday: Nuclear Down Under with Mark Schneider
Mark Schneider accidentally became a nuclear professional at 17 when a sarcastic answer to a Navy recruiter — "only if you have nuclear power" — launched a 20-year career. He went on to serve as a nuclear electronics technician, make chief petty officer, earn his commission as a nuclear-powered limited-duty officer, and operate reactors on three submarines and an aircraft carrier.
Now he's the Chief Nuclear Officer at UBH Group, and his current mission is one of the most unusual in the industry: building Australia's nuclear workforce from the ground up. Because of AUKUS, Australia is getting nuclear-powered submarines for the first time and they need people who understand what that actually means.
What this conversation
- How a sarcastic teenager accidentally built a 20-year nuclear career in the U.S. Navy
- What it's like to operate reactors on nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers
- Why "a nuclear reactor that happens to submerge" is the same as any other reactor
- How AUKUS is creating one of the most unusual nuclear workforce challenges in the world
- What ISO 19443, NQA1, and 10 CFR 50 supply chain standards actually mean in practice
- Why the O-ring on a cooling pump matters as much as any major system
- AUKUS Submarine Partnership: https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3326875/
- ISO 19443 (nuclear supply chain quality management)
- NQA-1 (American Society of Mechanical Engineers nuclear quality assurance)
- 10 CFR 50 (NRC domestic licensing requirements for nuclear facilities)
Are you a skilled trades worker or veteran interested in a nuclear career? Nuclear Talent Scout matches candidates with nuclear employers — and the industry is hiring.
Apply here: https://forms.clickup.com/20124732/f/k651w-5551/4VA92A2B0QA0RJEHJB
20 Jul 2026
Ukrainian War Refugee to Microreactor Entrepreneur: Building the N1 with Jonas Helwig
Jonas Helwig is Swedish-born, French-passport-holding, and was living in Ukraine when the war started. He fled with his wife and their newborn daughter, ended up in Buenos Aires by accident, and his neighbor turned out to be a nuclear energy manufacturer.
Over dinner conversations with a pen and paper, they sketched out the N1, and Jonas joined the company. That's how Nuclearis Energy started.
In this episode, Jonas walks us through the N1 micromodular reactor: what it is, how it solves the efficiency problem that makes most microreactors uneconomical, why air-cooling changes where nuclear can go, how the design process started at the spent fuel and worked backwards, and what a "nuclear renaissance" actually means.
CONNECT WITH JONAS & NUCLEARIS
Jonas Helwig on LinkedIn: Search "Jonas Helwig Nuclearis"
Nuclearis Energy website: https://www.nuclearisenergy.com/ (https://www.nuclearisenergy.com/)
Nuclearis on X: Search @nuclearisenergy
Nuclearis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nuclearis-energy/ (https://www.linkedin.com/company/nuclearis-energy/)
- Atucha Nuclear Power Plants (Argentina): https://www.iaea.org/PRIS/CountryStatistics/ReactorDetails.aspx?current=388 (https://www.iaea.org/PRIS/CountryStatistics/ReactorDetails.aspx?current=388)
JOIN THE NUCLEAR WORKFORCE
Companies like Nuclearis are gearing up for major engineering hiring. And across the industry, the nuclear workforce shortage is real, the sector needs people now.
Nuclear Talent Scout (nucleartalentscout.com)connects skilled candidates with nuclear employers.
Apply here: https://forms.clickup.com/20124732/f/k651w-5551/4VA92A2B0QA0RJEHJB (https://forms.clickup.com/20124732/f/k651w-5551/4VA92A2B0QA0RJEHJB)
ABOUT NAKED NUCLEAR
Naked Nuclear is the podcast that pulls back the curtain on the nuclear industry — no hype, no fear, just real conversations with the people doing the work. Hosted by Danielle Allen.
Website: www.nakednuclear.com (www.nakednuclear.com)
Who has been a guest on Naked Nuclear
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Dr Arturo Dominguez
Ryan Zerpa
Dr Todd Allen
Ikhwan Khaleb
Nuclear Talent Scout
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
332
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
13 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
16 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 68 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
90
Social presence
0
YouTube
66
Engagement
51
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