Faculty Development Grant for Radiochemistry and Applications of Neutron Irradiation

Nuclear energy is a clean, safe, reliable and cost-effective source of electricity, which should be increasingly relied upon to fulfill the country's energy needs while reducing greenhouse emissions. The ability to understand radiochemistry and its effects on irradiated materials is essential to the optimization of advanced nuclear power. Methods used to understand and establish the safe handling of nuclear materials, nuclear chemistry, and component reliability for future advanced nuclear reactors is also an important aspect of nuclear safety and operation. Moreover, expanding a thriving workforce development pipeline is critical to supporting the future needs of the NRC and its endeavors. This proposal seeks start-up funds for a tenure-track faculty member in the Ken and Mary Alice Lindquist Department of Nuclear Engineering with expertise in the field of radiochemistry and applications of neutron irradiation. The candidate is in her second year of her tenure track as an assistant professor of nuclear engineering (her curriculum vitae is in Attachment 4), even though she started in the department during fall 2019. She is a nuclear engineer and radiochemist with graduate school and postdoctoral experience in environmental actinide chemistry, medical isotope purification, advanced reprocessing techniques for used nuclear fuel, and advanced nuclear fuels. She also has extensive experience in neutron irradiation studies as a research associate and research assistant professor in the Radiation Science and Engineering Center at the Penn State Breazeale Reactor prior to joining the nuclear engineering department faculty. In addition, she has expertise in various nuclear technologies including radioisotope development and modeling of actinides in geological repository safety assessments. Her expertise in these areas is directly applicable to many of the current needs in advanced nonlight water reactors.