Dean’s
Distinguished
Lecture Series
Timely Talks from Renowned Researchers
Each year, the College of Engineering dean invites an esteemed leader from engineering, industry, or academia to generously share their expertise, experiences, and inspiring stories with our faculty, staff, students, and the wider community.
Join us for thought-provoking talks on cutting-edge research and the future of engineering. Whether you're a seasoned professional, a curious student, or simply interested in the latest advancements, our lectures are open to all. It's a unique opportunity to gain insights, network, and be inspired by some of the brightest minds in the field.
2026 Lecture: Sustaining Nuclear Security in a Changing Global Landscape
Presented By:
Hon. Dr. Marvin L. Adams
Senior Advisor, Nuclear Security, Texas A&M University System
Professor Emeritus, Nuclear Engineering, Texas A&M University
Thursday, May 7
The CH2M Alumni Center
725 SW 26th St
Corvallis, OR 97331
Attend In-Person:
Doors open: 5:30 p.m.
Lecture followed by Q&A: 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.
Reception: 6:45 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Attend Virtually
Lecture followed by Q&A: 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.
Lecture Abstract
Over the past 80 years, nuclear deterrence, nonproliferation efforts, and arms control have played key roles in maintaining global security. However, today’s rapidly changing geopolitical environment presents new challenges to these long‑standing efforts. Shifts in alliances, evolving military capabilities, and the ambitions of potential adversaries are placing increased strain on systems and strategies that have helped prevent conflict for decades.
The United States has long focused on maintaining a credible and effective nuclear deterrent while working to limit the spread of nuclear weapons. Today, global conditions continue to change in ways that make it difficult to sustain the successes of these efforts. This talk will outline the major challenges now facing nuclear deterrence, nonproliferation, and arms control, and will highlight current efforts aimed at addressing them and supporting long‑term peace and security.
Lecturer Biography
Marvin L. Adams began his nuclear engineering career in 1977 as an engineering aide at the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant near Chattanooga, Tennessee. Since 1986, he has worked in a wide range of roles focused on national and international security, bridging engineering, science, and public policy.
Most recently, Adams served as Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). In this role, he was responsible for the programs that design, manufacture, certify, transport, maintain, assess, and dismantle the nation’s nuclear weapons, as well as for coordinating with other federal agencies on policy and force structure decisions related to the U.S. nuclear deterrent.
Prior to his Senate confirmation as Deputy Administrator, Adams served on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology; the Stockpile Assessment Team of the Strategic Advisory Group for U.S. Strategic Command; the JASON defense advisory group; the National Academies’ Committee on International Security and Arms Control; the Predictive Science Panel for the Lawrence Livermore and Los Alamos National Laboratories (LLNL and LANL); the Mission Committee for LANL; the Predictive Engineering Sciences Panel at Sandia National Laboratories, and many other review and advisory bodies related to national security.
Earlier in his career, he spent more than five years as a physicist in the weapons program at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and 30 years as a professor of nuclear engineering at Texas A&M University before serving as NNSA Deputy Administrator. Adams has since returned to the Texas A&M University System as a senior advisor in the Nuclear Security Office. He earned a Ph.D. and M.S. in nuclear engineering from the University of Michigan and a B.S. in nuclear engineering from Mississippi State University.
Past Lectures
Each year, the College of Engineering dean invites an esteemed leader from engineering, industry, or academia to generously share their expertise, experiences, and inspiring stories with our faculty, staff, students, and the wider community. Examples of past lectures include:
2024 “Klamath Dam Removal”
Mark Bransom, Chief Executive Officer of the Klamath River Renewal Corporation
2021 “The 2020 Haiti Earthquake: A Story of History, Race, Inequities, and Natural Hazards.”
Reginald DesRoches, Ph.D., Provost, Rice University
2018 "Innovating our Energy Future"
José N. Reyes, Ph.D., NuScale Power Co-founder
Henry W. and Janice J. Schuette, Endowed Chair in Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Health Physics
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