As a UF doctoral student and TikTok star, Kaylee Cunningham is sharing her passion for nuclear energy

Known as “Ms. Nuclear Energy” on TikTok, Kaylee Cunningham has racked up 2.8 million likes for her clips on engineering topics. 

At age 26, she is also accumulating numerous firsts: the first in her family to be known as “doctor” and the first student at UF to complete an online Ph.D. from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering this December.

“I am the soon-to-be first doctor in my family,” said Cunningham, who is originally from Palm Beach County, Florida, and earned a bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering from UF in 2022. “My dad was the first in his family to graduate high school. To make that leap, and not only go to college, graduate college, go to grad school and then, not just stop at a master's, but go all the way through to the end of the Ph.D., is something that's really special for my family.” 

Cunningham's journey at UF began in 2018, when she immersed herself in nuclear engineering.  

“Kaylee has always been a nuclear advocate since the first time I met her as an undergraduate student at UF,” said Justin Watson, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering. “Her dedication and enthusiasm represents the positive attitude that the industry needs.” 

Cunningham worked as an undergraduate researcher, exploring the intersection of materials and nuclear engineering, alongside Michael Tonks, Ph.D., the department chair; and Nathalie Wall, Ph.D., the interim nuclear engineering program director.

“It has been a great pleasure for me to watch Kaylee develop from an undergraduate student learning about nuclear engineering to a dynamic and creative computational nuclear materials researcher,” Tonks said. 

Wall agreed.

“It has been remarkable to watch her grow into the scientist she is today,” Wall said. “Throughout her academic career, she has consistently demonstrated intelligence, creativity, perseverance and a commitment to excellence.” 

Those research experiences prepared Cunningham to complete internships at national laboratories, and to earn a master’s degree at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in nuclear engineering in 2024. 

Following MIT, Cunningham was eager to continue the nuclear fuel research she started at UF and reached out to Tonks about the Ph.D. program. Due to Tonks’ involvement with the Los Alamos National Laboratory, he advised Cunningham to complete her degree remotely at UF while serving as a research assistant in New Mexico.  

“It was really nice, especially being someone who went to UF as an undergrad, to still feel like an adult,” Cunningham said. “The whole experience felt like I was just working a job.”  

Along with her courses, Cunningham collaborated with her doctoral committee on her research about nuclear fuel materials.   

“Her Ph.D. research tackles complex questions in nuclear fuel behavior and makes important contributions to the field,” said Wall, who was a member of Cunningham’s committee. 

Cunningham, who currently lives in New Mexico, even had an onsite mentor at Los Alamos to keep her on track.  

“I have run into a number of Ph.D. students who are finishing their research here from UF, and alumni who are now senior staff scientists at the lab,” Cunningham said. “They’re all willing to do absolutely anything, just because you're a Gator. That network is so unique, special and powerful. That, in and of itself, is something incredible.”  

Cunningham successfully delivered her doctoral defense this semester to a packed audience in Rhines Hall filled with friends, family and faculty members who have supported her during her time at UF. As she wraps up her doctoral degree, she is looking forward to a career in nuclear engineering.    

“It really felt like the culmination of my entire educational experience,” Cunningham said about her defense. “Nearly a decade of hard work, dedication and resilience all compiled into one presentation.”