From Classroom to Command
Rice’s NROTC executive officer has secured one of the military’s most elite and challenging commissions.
By Andrew Bell
Matthew Deverell ’26 has known since grade school that he wanted to be a nuclear engineer. Now the Will Rice senior has earned one of the rarest early-career distinctions in his field — one of only eight nuclear engineering officer positions awarded each year by the U.S. Navy.
A mechanical engineering major and Midshipman 1st Class in Rice’s Naval ROTC unit, Deverell also serves as the unit’s executive officer. After graduating, he will commission as an ensign and report to Naval Reactors Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
“I’ve been interested in nuclear engineering since elementary school,” Deverell says. “By the time I was applying to colleges, I knew it was a career path I would be happy in. NROTC was a great way to get started in that field, and it provides incredible opportunities for training and professional development.”
At Rice, that early interest found structure and challenge. Deverell said he first learned about the naval reactors engineer role during his time on campus, drawn to its responsibility for the entire life cycle of every naval nuclear reactor, from design to long-term oversight.
“As an NR engineer, I’ll get to use my engineering expertise to help develop and maintain the Navy Nuclear Propulsion Program,” he says. “The Navy’s nuclear power program has a long and successful history of safe reactor operation, and I’m excited to be part of that tradition of engineering excellence.”
His selection followed an intensive, multistage interview process at Naval Reactors Headquarters, culminating in a final interview with Adm. William Houston, director of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program.
“It’s a great honor to be selected for such a prestigious program,” Deverell says. “Rice has been very important in my journey — the courses I’ve taken here have been essential to my success.”
Capt. Mike Kinter, commanding officer of Rice’s Naval ROTC unit, sees both aptitude and leadership in Deverell.
“From my interactions with him, I’m very impressed,” Kinter says. “He’s definitely ready to enter the Navy as an officer. He’s wicked smart — an engineering type through and through — and I think his leadership skills will continue to grow with time.
“It just speaks to the quality of education the students are getting here, especially in engineering,” Kinter adds. “The Navy values institutions like Rice because of that strong foundation in math, physics and chemistry. The fact that one of only eight slots in the country went to a Rice student is something the university can absolutely take pride in.”
From the Spring 2026 issue of Rice Magazine