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Susan Landahl: Providing Power to Millions

Susan Landahl '83, SM '84, chief operating officer and senior vice president at Exelon Nuclear.
Caption:
Susan Landahl '83, SM '84, chief operating officer and senior vice president at Exelon Nuclear.

Overseeing the operation of a nuclear reactor is complex and challenging. Overseeing the operation of 17 nuclear reactors is even more complex and challenging — but it's business as usual for Susan Landahl '83, SM '84 in her role managing the largest nuclear power operation in the U.S.

Landahl, chief operating officer and senior vice president at Exelon Nuclear in Warrenville, Ill., has operational responsibility for roughly 20 percent of all U.S. nuclear power-generating capacity — 17 nuclear plants in three states with total capacity of about 18 gigawatts. The job requires an ever-shifting mix of technical, management, communication and operational skills, and embodies one of the grand challenges of engineering: making a complex system dependable enough to be a daily resource for millions of people.

Read more on the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering website

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