Alireza Haghighat

Alireza Haghighat is the Robert E. Hord Jr. Professor of Nuclear Engineering and Director of the Nuclear Engineering Program at Virginia Tech's College of Engineering. He leads the Virginia Tech Transport Theory Group (VT3G), focusing on advanced particle transport methods and real-time simulation technologies such as the RAPID code system. His work bridges nuclear energy, security, and medical applications, emphasizing deterministic and hybrid computational methods.

Education includes a Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Washington (1986) and B.S. in Physics from Pahlavi University (1978). He has held leadership roles including Director of the University of Florida Training Reactor and Chair of the Nuclear Engineering Department at Pennsylvania State University.

Research interests include multi-stage response-function transport (MRT) methodologies, computational particle transport, and virtual reality systems for scientific collaboration. Key projects include the RAPID code for real-time reactor analysis, medical imaging reconstruction algorithms, and nonproliferation safeguards tools.

Notable collaborations involve institutions like Idaho National Lab, MIT, and industry partners such as Westinghouse and TerraPower. He holds patents on innovations like the Test and Education Microreactor and collaborative VR systems for scientific computing.

Awards include the ANS Radiation Protection Professional Excellence Award (2011) and ANS Fellow (2002). He advises students in advanced reactor design, computational methods, and safeguards technologies.