Jenifer Shafer, Ph.D., is the inaugural Ben L. Fryrear
Presidential Chair in Energy and Professor at the Colorado School of Mines,
with an appointment spanning Chemistry and Nuclear Engineering. From 2020 to
2026, she served as Program Director and later Associate Director for
Technology at ARPA-E, where her portfolio ranged across advanced nuclear,
critical minerals, and industrial decarbonization. Her research spans
radiochemistry, actinide chemistry, molten salt electrochemistry, and nuclear
fuel cycle separations, anchored in roughly 90 publications and sustained DOE
funding. At Mines, her work increasingly examines the shared supply chain,
materials, and workforce challenges connecting advanced fission and fusion as
both move toward commercialization. She is a recipient of the DOE Early Career
Award and a Fellow of the American Chemical Society.