Experience and Expertise

Principal Nuclear Software Engineer | TerraPower

• Led the development of an Advanced Reactor Modeling Interface (ARMI) plugin for SAS4A/SASSYS-1. This plugin generates complete core input models from reactor state databases and fully automates the transient analysis execution process from input management to output processing, including the assessment of transient acceptance criteria. It is written in Python, tested with pytest, linted with Black, documented with Sphinx, automated with tox, and deployed via CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins and GitHub.

• Developed first-of-a-kind modeling strategies for the Natrium Demonstration reactor core using SAS4A/SASSYS-1; established interfaces and input hand-offs with cross-functional nuclear design and thermal hydraulics teams.

• Managed the Nuclear Island computational model integration and initialization process, leading the transient analysis team through multiple project design iterations. Established source control processes and protocols for the Natrium Demonstration Project's modularized SAS4A/SASSYS-1 input decks across TerraPower, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, and Argonne National Laboratory – enabling the deployment of a CI/CD workflow for input model generation, and equipping each organization to maintain identical version control histories despite using independent remote repositories.

• Architected the transient analysis application workflows for licensing basis event analyses, ensuring consistent application of overarching methodologies including the application of hot channel factor application and clad strain failure assessments.

• Performed Safety Analysis calculations for the Natrium Demonstration reactor including both licensing basis events and operating basis events. Simulated accidents ranged from loss of heat removal analyses to earthquake-induced reactivity oscillation scenarios.
  
  

Senior Data Analyst | Red Hat

• Led the development and implementation of “full stack” analytics projects, from the creation of new ETL processes across disparate databases, to reporting and analytics in Tableau. Data sources included AWS Redshift databases, JDBC interfaces, and even Google Sheets. ETL processes were constructed using SQL and Python with heavy use of Pandas DataFrames. Focus areas included telemetry, opportunity renewals, up-sell/cross-sell, product penetration, human capital allocation, leadership exchange planning, and KPI + OKR reporting.

• Collaborated directly with OpenShift Engineering vice presidents, directors, and principal engineers to establish new source-of-truth databases, ETLs, and Tableau dashboards from emerging OpenShift cluster telemetry data in order to understand and drive customer engagement. This included the creation of a novel account mapping algorithm to combine telemetry, subscription, and revenue data – and pragmatically handle the many-to-many relationship for customer accounts across disparate Oracle EBS and Salesforce SFDC databases.
  
  

Nuclear Engineer | Duke Energy

• Created and executed computational thermal-hydraulics models for nuclear accident analyses within the Duke Energy fleet with a specialization in GOTHIC, RETRAN-3D, and VIPRE-01; fully qualified to perform calculations, design verifications, and 10CFR50.59 screens.

• Wrote a Python program that performed linked system and core sub-channel model simulations with RETRAN-3D and VIPRE-01, automating a significant portion of the team’s transient sensitivity study process.

• Developed first-of-a-kind UFSAR Chapter 15 Steam Generator Tube Rupture Analyses of Record for the Harris Nuclear Plant. Modeled the limiting DNB, Margin to Overfill, and Dose Analysis (TH Inputs) transients using RETRAN-3D and VIPRE-01 in accordance with Duke Energy’s new in-house methodology. 

• Constructed a new GOTHIC model that proved the reliability of Brunswick Nuclear Plant’s diesel building switchgears upon a loss of HVAC event, preventing the introduction of detrimental system dependencies and unrealistic risk increases into the Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) model. The generalized GOTHIC model provided the ability to readily perform additional in-house analyses as needed.

• Built a new Loss of Decay Heat Removal (LDHR) thermal-hydraulics model for the Robinson Nuclear Plant and benchmarked the observed Counter-Current Flow Limitation (CCFL) behavior within GOTHIC. Presented this benchmark study to the industry's GOTHIC Advisory Group.
  
  

Reactor Engineer | Duke Energy

• Directed reactor physics testing as the lead test engineer for the Harris Nuclear Plant over two fuel cycles.

• Wrote software quality assured (SQA) code packages for Reactor Engineering data analysis and task automation resulting in significant efficiency gains for the team. These included a generalized nuclear fuel reliability calculator and database, a reactor core alignment check calculator, and an automated reactivity planning tool.

• Programmed a VBA prototype of an in-house fuel management system with dynamic criticality and heat load configuration checking as well as automated core offload/insert shuffle/reload planning capabilities.

• Performed core activities such as reactivity manipulation planning, irradiated fuel criticality and heat load analyses, and neutron flux mapping as a fully qualified Reactor Engineer (including ERO and SAM-G).

• Implemented the first hands-on Reactor Engineering-specific simulator training at the Harris Nuclear Plant in 10+ years by developing a white paper, training module, and simulator scenario on the establishment of the One Point excore detector calibration method from the Multi Point method.