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2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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The human factor in licensing and operating the next generation of nuclear plants
As human factors specialists working at the intersection of human performance and nuclear operations, we are witnessing one of the nuclear sector’s most significant transitions in decades. The emergence of small modular reactors, microreactors, and other advanced designs is reshaping the industry’s landscape. Digital instrumentation and controls, passive safety systems, and increased automation are creating opportunities for greater safety margins and more flexible operation. These same features also fundamentally redefine what it means to “operate” a nuclear plant. Interactions among human roles, automation, and passive systems shape how people maintain awareness, exercise judgment, and intervene when necessary. These developments affect both operational realities and the regulatory foundations on which nuclear safety is built.
International High-Level Radioactive Waste Management 2022 Speaker
BS, Masters, and PhD in Nuclear Engineering, North Carolina State University
Presently working on the backend of the nuclear fuel cycle with focus on advanced reactor used/spent fuel treatment activities including: recycling/reprocessing of used nuclear fuel (UNF), conditioning of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) for alignment with disposal waste criteria, and the licensing and safety analyses needed to support the backend of the fuel cycle for these advanced reactors (e.g., spent fuel post-reactor processing facilities, spent fuel post-reactor handling facilities, spent fuel pools, spent fuel storage installations, spent fuel dry storage systems, spent fuel transportation systems, etc.). In addition, continue to advance recycling activities through work on industrial and medical isotope recovery from UNF, optimization of existing processes (e.g., use of voloxidation, advanced gas treatment processes), separation of long-lived and repository burdensome isotopes for transmutation, and the continued pursuit of regulatory clarity for reprocessing in the U.S.
Professional Engineer, Nuclear Engineering, NC.
ANS:
Vice-Chair of EPRI’s Extended Storage Collaboration Program (ESCP) Fuels sub-committee.
Member of Nuclear Energy Institute’s (NEI):
Last modified October 28, 2022, 1:30pm MST
