The 55th IEEE Nuclear and Space Radiation Effects Conference (NSREC) was held on July 16–20, 2018 at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Hotel, Kona, HI, USA. The NSREC is recognized as one of the premier international conferences on radiation effects in electronic materials, devices, and systems. The 2018 conference continued this tradition with a strong technical program, a one-day tutorial short course, a radiation effects data workshop, an industrial exhibit, and meetings for the IEEE Women in Engineering and Young Professionals organizations. The conference was sponsored by the Radiation Effects Committee of the IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society (NPSS) and supported by Boeing, Cobham Semiconductor Solutions, Freebird Semiconductor, Harris, IR HiRel, Infineon Technology Company, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Renesas Electronics, Southwest Research Institute, and The Aerospace Corporation.