Fuel Performance Engineer

Role details

Oak Ridge, TN | $160K–$180K Base | Relocation Available | Reactor Development

Shape the Analytical Foundation for Advanced TRISO Fuel Qualification

If you’re an experienced fuel-performance or multiphysics engineer looking for greater technical ownership, this role offers the opportunity to directly influence the qualification, safety analysis, and licensing of an advanced High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR) fuel system.

As Fuel Performance Engineer, you’ll own computational modeling and behavioral analysis for the KRONOS fuel architecture, developing the analytical basis used to understand fuel performance across normal operation, anticipated operational occurrences, and accident conditions.

Your work will have a direct path into irradiation testing, fuel qualification, safety limits, and regulatory licensing documentation.

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Reactor Fuel Design Manager, you’ll develop and validate high-fidelity models of ceramic matrix TRISO fuel behavior—from individual coated particles through the ceramic matrix and integral fuel pellets.

This is more than a modeling role. You’ll connect computational analysis with irradiation data, post-irradiation examination (PIE), safety testing, manufacturing attributes, fuel failure mechanisms, and uncertainty to establish defensible operating and safety limits for KRONOS.

Why This Opportunity Stands Out

• Own critical fuel-performance modeling supporting an advanced HTGR program.
• Work across the full analytical scale—from individual TRISO particles to integral fuel pellets.
• Directly connect modeling with irradiation experiments, PIE, safety testing, and fuel qualification.
• Translate technical analysis into operating limits, safety-analysis inputs, and licensing documentation.
• Lead formal Verification & Validation (V&V) and uncertainty quantification for safety-significant computational models.
• Build technical leadership experience while working in a collaborative advanced nuclear engineering environment.

What You’ll Do

• Develop and execute high-fidelity computational models of fuel behavior at the TRISO particle, ceramic matrix, and integral fuel-pellet levels.
• Perform thermal and mechanical simulations across steady-state operation, anticipated operational occurrences, transients, and accident scenarios.
• Evaluate fuel behavior as peak temperatures approach design limits.
• Translate modeling results into actionable inputs for irradiation experiment planning and fuel qualification.
• Prepare fuel-performance analyses and technical documentation supporting regulatory licensing submissions.
• Lead formal V&V activities for fuel-performance codes such as BISON.
• Establish model applicability, validation metrics, uncertainty treatment, bias, scaling, and acceptance criteria.
• Integrate manufacturing attributes, irradiation conditions, PIE and safety-test results, fuel failure mechanisms, and uncertainty into the qualification model.
• Convert analytical results into defensible operating envelopes, design limits, failure-fraction estimates, source-term inputs, and safety-analysis parameters.
• Maintain modeling workflows, code configuration, behavioral data, and documentation within Siemens Teamcenter in accordance with nuclear QA requirements.

What You’ll Bring

Required

• Degree in Nuclear Engineering, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, or a related highly technical discipline.
• 7+ years of experience in fuel performance, multiphysics, or mechanistic materials modeling.
• Experience providing technical leadership for safety-significant analyses.
• Strong understanding of TRISO-related failure mechanisms, including coated-particle thermochemistry, pressure-vessel failure, irradiation-induced dimensional change, coating degradation, fission-product transport, and matrix interactions.
• Hands-on experience with BISON or comparable high-fidelity fuel-performance computational frameworks.
• Experience interpreting irradiation histories, dosimetry, thermometry, PIE, accident-temperature testing, and fission-product release data.
• Demonstrated experience with model Verification & Validation and uncertainty quantification (V&V/UQ).
• Ability to translate modeling results and uncertainty into operating limits, design limits, failure-fraction estimates, source-term inputs, and licensing technical reports.
• Experience working within controlled software-quality and configuration-management environments.
• Ability to operate within enterprise PLM systems such as Siemens Teamcenter for documentation and configuration control.
• Preferred
• Direct experience modeling TRISO fuel particles, silicon carbide (SiC) matrices, or advanced ceramic matrix composites.
• Familiarity with ASME NQA-1 requirements related to software design and control.
• Advanced thermal-mechanical modeling experience from other extreme-environment industries, including aerospace or thermal-shielding applications.

Compensation & Benefits

• $160,000–$180,000 base salary
• Relocation assistance available to Oak Ridge, TN
• Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance with company contributions
• 401(k) with 5% company match
• Unlimited PTO
• Company holidays and paid parental leave
• Mentorship, professional growth, and technical leadership opportunities
• Collaborative engineering environment focused on innovation and technical excellence

Interested in Bringing Advanced Modeling into a Reactor Development Program?

If you have deep experience in fuel performance, multiphysics, TRISO, or extreme-environment materials modeling and want your analysis to directly influence fuel qualification, irradiation testing, reactor safety, and licensing, *Apply Today!*

NANO Nuclear Energy is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. We encourage individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives to apply.