Neely Nuclear Research Center, Nuclear research center in Atlanta, Georgia, US

The Neely Nuclear Research Center was a nuclear engineering research center on the Georgia Institute of Technology campus in Atlanta, built around a 5-megawatt heavy water moderated and cooled research reactor. The reactor building was demolished after decommissioning in November 1999, and the Marcus Nanotechnology Research Center now stands on the site.

A Nuclear Science Committee appointed by Georgia Tech president Blake R. Van Leer, including Georgia Tech Research Institute director James E. Boyd, recommended a radioisotopes laboratory and a large research reactor. The laboratory opened on January 7, 1959; the 5-megawatt heavy-water reactor operated from 1961 to 1995. It was shut down in 1988 over safety concerns and defueled before the 1996 Summer Olympics. Decommissioning ended in November 1999, and the building was demolished for the Marcus Nanotechnology Research Center.

The center is named for Frank H. Neely, a Georgia Tech graduate and businessman who organized Georgia's first Nuclear Advisory Commission, the step that made the reactor possible. The site itself is gone: the reactor building was demolished for the Marcus Nanotechnology Research Center, so nothing of the reactor remains to visit.

The facility is not open to the general public and visits require special authorization arranged through Georgia Tech. Those interested in learning more should contact the university directly to inquire about possible tours or special events.

The reactor was shut down in 1988 over safety concerns, then defueled because of its proximity to the 1996 Summer Olympics events in Atlanta. The emptied building was demolished after decommissioning, and the last remains were cleared by 2015.