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Current Researchers

Graduate Students

Alyssa Hayes

I am a Nuclear Engineering Ph.D. student at the University of Tennessee. My work concerns the plasma-material interactions in magnetically-confined...

Anthony Tom

Anthony Tom is a Ph.D. student at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville. He completed his B.S. in nuclear engineering...

Bailey Bertrand

My primary interest in the nuclear field is Space Nuclear Propulsion (SNP) in which a nuclear reactor can be used...

Cade Brinkley

My current research focuses on computational nuclear fuel performance modelling based off of INL’s BISON code.  Of interest are thermomechanical...

Caitlyn Parsons

I joined the Wirth Research Group in Fall 2022 to pursue a PhD in Nuclear Engineering at University of Tennessee...

Elijah Stafford

My research focuses around the development of a resistive bolometry system for NSTX-U. Synthetic diagnostics based upon the proposed system is...

Kailee Collins

I am a Ph.D. student in the Nuclear Engineering Department at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville. My research experience...

Katie Karl

I am a Nuclear Engineering Ph.D. Student at the University of Tennessee. I joined the Wirth research group in the...

Lauryn Reyes

I joined the research group Fall of 2022 to pursue a Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering at University of Tennessee. My...

Mitchell Conover

I’m a current Ph.D. student in the Nuclear Engineering Department at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. I joined the Wirth...

Nick Militello

I am a Ph. D. student in Nuclear Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. I am interested in nuclear...

Oliver Baldwin

I’m a current Ph.D. student in the Nuclear Engineering Department at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. I joined the Wirth...

Peter King

I am a Ph.D. student studying nuclear engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. I joined the research group Fall...

Promise Adebayo-Ige

I am a Nuclear Engineering Ph.D. student at the University of Tennessee. I joined the Wirth Research Group in Fall...

Silas John

I am a Nuclear Engineering PhD student at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. I joined theWirth Research Group in Fall...

Undergraduate Students

Davis Freeman

Davis Freeman joined the Wirth Research Group in Spring of 2024 as an undergraduate student in Nuclear Engineering. Currently Davis...

Post-Doctorate

John Fritz

To address future energy demand, one of the DOE’s current research focuses is on harnessing fusion energy by designing cost-effective...

Research Scientists

Ane Lasa

My scientific interests focus on plasma-material interactions, that is, the interface and interplay between the wall materials in fusion devices...

Charles Lieou

As a theoretical physicist, my primary interest lies in the development of physics-based descriptions of defects and damage in materials...

Kaifu Gan

My current work focus on divertor heat flux research. The divertor peak heat flux is one of critical issue for...

Research Professors

Sophie Blondel

After finishing my PhD in particle physics I decided to direct the focus of my...

Li Yang

I joined the group as a research associate in March 2017. I am responsible for...

Dwaipayan Dasgupta (DD)

Tungsten is considered as a suitable plasma-facing material candidate for divertor and first-wall systems, capable...

Nuclear Fuels and Materials Performance Research


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