Los Alamos National Laboratory’s David Andersson to Speak at UW About Nuclear Research

David Andersson, of Los Alamos National Laboratory, will speak as part of the University of Wyoming School of Energy Resources’ (SER) Distinguished Speaker Series Wednesday, March 4.

Andersson will speak from noon-1 p.m. in the Energy Innovation Center’s Encana Auditorium. The free lunch presentation is open to all students, members of the campus community and the public.

Andersson is the national technical director of the Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS) program and the deputy group leader of MST-8: Materials Science in Radiation and Dynamics Extremes. He is widely recognized for his expertise in the computational modeling of materials under extreme conditions, and his work at Los Alamos is instrumental in developing safer, more efficient nuclear fuel cycles.

Andersson joined Los Alamos in 2007 and received his doctorate in materials science and engineering from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. He was awarded the American Nuclear Society Mishima Award in 2023 for advancing understanding of nuclear fuel performance through fundamental studies of defect properties and their integration in performance models.

His presentation will introduce the NEAMS program, which develops predictive modeling and simulation tools to support the design, development, licensing and operation of nuclear reactors. Andersson will elaborate on multiscale simulations for nuclear fuel performance, with examples for uranium oxide in light water reactors and, if time permits, other fuel types.

Andersson’s visit is a result of the collaborative efforts of SER’s Nuclear Energy Research Center (NERC) to build capacity, partnerships and exposure to nuclear energy topics on campus.

“Hosting a researcher of Dr. Andersson’s caliber is about more than just a single lecture; it is about expanding our horizons,” says Laura de Sousa Oliveira, a professor of chemistry and NERC faculty fellow. “As our state pursues new opportunities in nuclear energy, deepening our understanding of the fundamental science behind these technologies is essential. Moreover, these interactions can act as a catalyst for establishing formal partnerships.”

A livestream of the presentation can be viewed at https://uwyo.zoom.us/j/94486060155.

For more information, email Christine Reed at christine.reed@uwyo.edu.