Sébastien Philippe

Sébastien Philippe is an Assistant Professor of Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He is also affiliated with the Department of Political Science and the Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs. His work combines technical and policy analysis to inform public and governmental understanding of nuclear risks and support evidence-based diplomacy. His current research focuses on modeling the consequences of nuclear war and developing tools and methods to monitor nuclear activities worldwide. In July 2025, he was appointed by the UN Secretary-General to the newly established Scientific Panel on the Effects of Nuclear War. He is the co-author of Toxique (French University Press, 2021), a book on the legacy of French nuclear testing in the Pacific, finalist for the 2021 Albert Londres Prize (France’s highest journalism award).

Philippe is a 2025 MacArthur Fellow and recipient of the 2025 Joseph A. Burton Award from the American Physical Society for outstanding contributions at the interface of physics and society, and the 2022 Sigma Award for best data journalism in the world, among other honors. His work has been featured in major media outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, BBC, Scientific American, Science, Nature, CNN, MSNBC Morning Joe, and The New Yorker.

Philippe is a visiting researcher with Princeton University’s Program on Science and Global Security, based in the School of Public and International Affairs, where he spent six years before joining UW–Madison. He holds a PhD in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University and completed postdoctoral training at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center. Before his PhD, he served as a nuclear weapon system safety engineer in the French Ministry of Armed Forces.