Research Projects
Explore the research opportunities available to REU participants at CAES and Idaho National Laboratory. Each project offers hands-on experience with cutting-edge techniques at the intersection of intelligent manufacturing and sustainable energy.
Additional projects and INL-mentored opportunities may be added as the program develops. Check back for updates.
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AI/ML for Automated Critical Materials Resource Mapping
High temperature molten salt systems for energy storage and conversion. Research on LiF-NaF-KF eutectic alkaline metal fluoride salt mixtures, focusing on corrosion rates and mechanism to select and design new metal alloys for molten -
High Temperature Molten Salts Chemistry and Electrochemistry
High temperature molten salt systems for energy storage and conversion. Research on LiF-NaF-KF eutectic alkaline metal fluoride salt mixtures, focusing on corrosion rates and mechanism to select and design new metal alloys for molten -
Self-Healing Materials for Extreme Environments
Developing metal-core oxide-shell (MCOS) nano-capsules distributed in a metal matrix to enable self-healing of radiation-induced damage, creep, and other degradation in nuclear and power plant components operating under extreme conditions. -
Sustainability Modeling of Integrated Energy-Environment Systems
Evaluating carbon footprints, environmental impacts, and economic feasibility of energy production using computation tools. Results inform energy policy analysis and address environmental justice issues across energy, resources, -
Biomass-to-Fuel Pipeline for Sustainable Energy-Environment Nexus
Establishing biomass-to-fuel pipelines integrating agricultural residues, forest waste, municipal solid waste, algae, and energy crops. More than 690 million dry tons of biomass per year are available for fuel conversions in the U.S. alone. -
Investigating Powder Bed Printing Parameters on Metal Parts Thermal/Mechanical Properties
In laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) additive manufacturing, layers of powder are selectively melted by laser to create complex geometries. This project studies how printing parameters affect surface defects and their impact on thermophysical and -
Effect of Pressure Resistance Welded Molybdenum Alloy’s Response to Helium Ion Irradiation
Understanding irradiation response of pressure resistance welding (PRW) on molybdenum-based materials, including commercially pure molybdenum and oxide dispersion strengthened alloy MoLa, for nuclear thermal rocket and -
Classical Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Nuclear Materials
Atomistic simulations for predicting thermodynamic and kinetic properties at the nanoscale. New interatomic potentials based on explainable AI concepts combine physics-based functional forms with machine learning to fit parameter sets.