After serving three tours in Afghanistan, Lt. Col. Jill Rahon has taken her fight to a new battleground, the realm of nuclear treaty verification. The seasoned pilot and war veteran is now a fourth-year doctoral student at the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering (NSE) at MIT, working under the guidance of Areg Danagoulian to engineer solutions crucial for the enforcement of nuclear nonproliferation accords, as detailed in an article from MIT News.

The path Rahon has blazed is marked by courage and ingenuity, from deftly handling the controls of a Chinook helicopter over the treacherous terrains of Afghanistan to meticulously studying the nuances of resonance analysis to keep nuclear powers in check. Rahon's current research, which focuses on a method that uses resonance signatures of isotopes accessed by neutrons of epithermal energy to nondestructively identify nuclear fuels, is all part of her endeavor to ensure nuclear resources don't become a threat to global security, she had a penchant for flying discovered at flight school in Fort Novosel, Alabama, and shortly thereafter was deployed with the 101st Airborne Division.

However, Rahon's journey isn't just about academic and military achievements. It's also about leadership and empowerment. She has helped mentor the first wave of female pilots in the Afghan National Air Force, offering support to young women in a challenging environment, her commitment to nurturing future talent parallels her dedication to higher learning, having returned to NSE to pursue her doctorate with the aim of innovating technologies to maintain global nuclear safety, Rahon told MIT News.

Her research has tangible applications; a portable system she's working on could facilitate on-site inspections at fuel facilities and treaty verification sites. Despite the challenges of miniaturizing such technology, the mobility it offers could provide significant advantages in the field. "Our technique that leverages resonance analysis is nothing new, It's been applied practically since the '70s at very large beam facilities, hundreds of meters long with a very large accelerator that pulses neutrons, and then you're able to correlate a neutron time of flight with a resonance profile. What we’ve done that is novel is we've shrunk it down to a 3-meter system with a portable neutron resonance generator and a 2-meter beam path," Rahon said, according to her MIT News interview.

Amidst the balancing act of research and parenting twin toddlers, Rahon is also a testament to the impact of role models and mentorship—qualities she seeks to embed in her own career, whether in uniform or a laboratory coat. Her advisor, Danagoulian, recognizes her multifaceted capabilities, remarking on her exceptional balance of family life, intensive research, and previous military duty, “Raising twins, doing research in applied nuclear physics, and flying coalition forces into Taliban territory while developed her own research project with minimal help from me and defended it brilliantly during the first part of the exam.”