Deep Isolation's Matt Waples Named to 40 Under 40
Nuclear News has recognized Deep Isolation's Director of Engineering on its 2026 list of emerging nuclear industry leaders.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Nuclear
Nuclear News named Matt Waples, Director of Engineering at Deep Isolation Nuclear, Inc., to its 2026 "40 Under 40" list of emerging leaders in the nuclear industry. The list is published by the American Nuclear Society.
Why it matters
The recognition highlights individual contributors to advanced nuclear waste disposal work, an area where Deep Isolation is pursuing deep borehole technology. Waples was selected based on technical expertise and innovation in the field.
The 40 Under 40 list recognizes 40 emerging leaders in nuclear, and Waples joined Deep Isolation in 2022 after work on ARPA-E projects. Deep Isolation holds over 100 patents, and the outcomes of its January 2026 Cameron, Texas pilot have not been reported.
The players
Nuclear News
Nuclear News is the American Nuclear Society's publication that compiles the annual "40 Under 40" list of emerging leaders in the nuclear industry.
Deep Isolation Nuclear, Inc.
Deep Isolation Nuclear, Inc. is a company developing deep borehole disposal technology for nuclear waste, trading on the OTCQB under the symbol DBHL.
Matt Waples
Matt Waples is Director of Engineering at Deep Isolation Nuclear, Inc., where he has worked since 2022 on regulatory analysis and waste acceptance criteria.
The details
Waples led regulatory analysis and waste acceptance criteria development on the ARPA-E UPWARDS project and contributed to a paper that received a "Superior" recognition at the 2025 Waste Management Symposia. He has also supported work through the International Atomic Energy Agency and the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency's WISARD project.
Timeline
2022: Waples joins Deep Isolation.
2025: Paper receives "Superior" recognition at the Waste Management Symposia.
January 2026: Deep Isolation launches its Commercialization Pilot in Cameron, Texas.
November 3, 2026: Deep Isolation announces Waples's 40 Under 40 recognition.
Big Picture
Waples's recognition follows his earlier regulatory and waste-acceptance work on ARPA-E UPWARDS and SAVANT, federally funded programs that sought new disposal pathways for spent nuclear fuel. The honor places his engineering contributions within that research lineage as deep borehole disposal moves toward commercial testing.
Deep borehole disposal, the technology Deep Isolation is piloting, aims to offer an alternative route for spent nuclear fuel storage. The January 2026 Cameron, Texas pilot is the first at-depth test toward commercialization.
The takeaway
Recognition of individual engineers like Matt Waples signals that the nuclear waste disposal field is drawing attention to workforce talent as technologies move from research toward deployment. Readers following nuclear policy can track whether pilot programs translate into commercial disposal capacity.
Further reading
Explore more nuclear news coverage on Wisevoter for context on the industry's emerging leaders.
More information
Visit the Deep Isolation company website for information on its deep borehole disposal technology and Cameron, Texas pilot.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Manila times.
