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Thompson Igunma’s UF-INL research is creating unique models for molten salt reactors
Igunma
American Nuclear Society member Thompson Odion Igunma is a doctoral candidate in materials science and engineering at the University of Florida (UF) conducting research in collaboration with the Computational Mechanics and Materials Group at Idaho National Laboratory. His work focuses on advanced modeling of the complex interplay between molten salt corrosion, irradiation, and changes in alloy microstructure.
“I see molten salt reactors as a pivotal part of the next generation of nuclear energy,” Igunma said. “Their unique combination of safety, efficiency, and fuel flexibility makes them ideally suited to complement renewables in a low-carbon energy mix.”
13th Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control & Human-Machine Interface Technologies (NPIC&HMIT 2023)
Matt Dennis is a Data Scientist at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research. Matt joined the NRC’s Accident Analysis Branch in 2021 and leads the agency’s efforts in developing and implementing the NRC Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategic Plan. He also leads data science and AI research and development projects, software development, and training which aid regulatory enhancements and reactor safety research. Additionally, Matt supports the development and maintenance of the MELCOR Accident Consequence Code System (MACCS) suite of codes and conducts severe accident consequence analyses.
Prior to joining the NRC, Matt held positions at Northrop Grumman and Sandia National Laboratories. As a Senior Reliability Engineer with the Reliability Analysis Laboratory at Northrop Grumman’s Mission Systems Baltimore, he supported sustainment efforts for Global Hawk, Triton and Phoenix unmanned aircraft systems. As a Senior Member of the Technical Staff in the Risk and Reliability Analysis department at Sandia National Laboratories, Matt led research and development projects supporting risk assessment and consequence analysis for new and operating nuclear reactors, as well as nuclear waste transportation. He has a B.S. and M.S. in Nuclear Engineering from the Missouri University of Science and Technology.
Last modified May 9, 2023, 2:21pm EDT
