Nuclear system safety, nuclear simulation tools and reactor design and analysis for cost competitiveness earn Argonne researchers accolades on “40 Under 40” list.
Four scientists affiliated with the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have earned spots on Nuclear News’ inaugural “40 Under 40” list, as named by the American Nuclear Society (ANS).
They are Dave Grabaskas and Paul Romano from Argonne, Ben Lindley from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and April Novak from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Lindley and Novak hold joint appointments with Argonne. The accolade highlights impactful contributions to advancing nuclear technology and safety.
“This recognition underscores the significant advancements these leaders bring to the nuclear sector. Their commitment to safety and efficiency is a tribute to Argonne’s legacy and drives progress in advanced nuclear technology.” — Temitope Taiwo, division director of Nuclear Science and Engineering at Argonne
Grabaskas, group manager of licensing and risk assessments, focuses on nuclear system safety. He works to ensure that new reactor technologies meet rigorous safety standards. He is also involved in efforts to expand nuclear science and technology education around the globe.
Romano, computational scientist and Research and Development group leader in the Computational Science division, has been pivotal in developing nuclear simulation tools. These are critical for testing safer energy solutions.
Lindley’s research, conducted in partnership with Argonne through his role at the university, centers on advanced nuclear reactor design and analysis. His work focuses on improving cost competitiveness.
Novak, an assistant professor at Illinois with an Argonne joint appointment, was recognized in part for her leadership in Cardinal, nuclear simulation toolkit and winner of an R&D 100 Award. Cardinal was developed while Novak was a Maria Goeppert Mayer Fellow at Argonne from 2020 to 2023. Her work on Cardinal was supported by Argonne’s Laboratory Directed Research and Development program.
“This recognition underscores the significant advancements these leaders bring to the nuclear sector,” said Temitope Taiwo, division director of Nuclear Science and Engineering at Argonne. “Their commitment to safety and efficiency is a tribute to Argonne’s legacy and drives progress in advanced nuclear technology.”
“I feel honored to be named with my colleagues in the American Nuclear Society’s ‘40 Under 40’ list,” Grabaskas said. “It’s rewarding to be recognized for work that we are passionate about and that we believe will make a real difference in the world.”
Argonne’s work continues to be at the forefront of innovation in nuclear energy. This is due in part to its integrated approach, world-class DOE Office of Science user facilities — including the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility, home to Aurora — and an emphasis on developing sustainable, safe nuclear energy solutions.
Work recognized in this award was supported by the DOE Office of Science, Fusion Energy Sciences, the U.S. Department of State, the International Atomic Energy Agency and DOE Office of Nuclear Energy.
The American Nuclear Society formally honored recipients at its winter meeting.
The Argonne Leadership Computing Facility provides supercomputing capabilities to the scientific and engineering community to advance fundamental discovery and understanding in a broad range of disciplines. Supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Science, Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) program, the ALCF is one of two DOE Leadership Computing Facilities in the nation dedicated to open science.
Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology by conducting leading-edge basic and applied research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://energy.gov/science.