Governor’s Chair Professor
Research
Computational modeling and measurements of radiation effects in materials, molecular dynamics simulation, nano-materials.
Education
PhD, Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 1998
- Thesis Title: “On The Character of Nano-scale Features in Reactor Pressure Vessel Steels Under Neutron Irradiation”
- Thesis Advisor: Professor G. Robert Odette, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA.
BS, Nuclear Engineering with Highest Honors, 1992
Awards and Recognitions
| 07/2010 | Appointment as Governor’s Chair Professor in Computational Nuclear Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville |
| 2007 | Fusion Power Associates David J. Rose Excellence in Fusion Engineering Award |
| 11/2004 | Literary Award, American Nuclear Society, Materials Science and Technology Division |
| 09/2004 | 2013 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) |
| 9/2004 | 2003 Early Career Scientists and Engineer Award, Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Office of Defense Programs |
| 12/1998 | Graduate Student Gold Medal Award, Materials Research Society |
| 06/1998 | Finalist, Lawrence Livermore Post-Doctoral Fellowship |
| 09/1996 – 06/1997 | Graduate Scholarship Award, American Nuclear Society |
| 09/1992 – 08/1996 | Nuclear Engineering and Health Physics Fellow, US Department of Energy |
| 11/1995 | Best Student Poster Award, Materials Engineering and Sciences Division of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, 1995 Annual AIChE Meeting |
| 04/1995 | Outstanding Graduate Student Presentation in Materials Science, 1995 American Nuclear Society Southeast Regional Student Conference |
| 06/1992 – 09/1992 | American Nuclear Society Student Research Exchange Program, Kerforshungzentrum, Juelich, Germany |
| 06/1992 | Outstanding Scholastic Achievement Award, Nuclear Engineering and Health Physics Program, The Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering |
| 05/1992 | Alpha Nu Sigma Honor Society Membership |
| 04/1992 | Outstanding Undergraduate Student Presentation in Materials Science, 1992 American Nuclear Society Southeast Regional Student Conference |
The Wirth Research Group investigates the performance of nuclear fuels and structural materials in nuclear environments. This research will improve 
predictions about the longevity of nuclear reactor components and ultimately lead to the development of high-performance, radiation resistant materials for advanced nuclear fission and fusion energy power plants.The group’s research approach involves an integrated and multi-disciplinary combination of computational multiscale materials modeling with experimental processing and characterization of materials structure and properties from the nanometer to continuum length scales to elucidate the dynamics of materials behavior.Since moving to the University of Tennessee, Prof. Wirth has participated in the DOE funded Energy Innovation Hub for the modeling and simulation of nuclear reactors, the Consortium for Advanced Simulations of Light water reactors (CASL), as the deputy focus area lead for Materials Performance and Optimization, as well as initiated a new project on plasma surface interactions funded through the Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computations (SciDAC) program. The group’s research activities are currently supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy through the Nuclear Engineering University Program (NEUP), as well as through the Office of Advanced Strategic Computing, and the Office of Fusion Energy Sciences. Further support comes from projects funded by Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Idaho National Laboratory.