Brian D Wirth

Brian Wirth is a Governor's Chair Professor and Head in the Department of Nuclear Engineering at the University of Tennessee Knoxville (UTK) with a joint appointment at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). He is an authority in the ways materials behave in extreme environments, with research focused on nuclear fuels and structural materials in nuclear environments.

His work investigates the performance of nuclear fuels and structural materials to improve prediction of reactor component longevity and develop high-performance, radiation-resistant materials for advanced nuclear fission and fusion energy applications. Within the Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (CASL), the first US Department Of Energy Innovation Hub, Wirth leads the fuels, materials, and chemistry focus area, and serves as the grid-to-rod fretting challenge problem integrator.

Dr. Wirth's publication record demonstrates sustained contributions across nuclear materials science, with particular expertise in fission gas behavior, radiation effects on materials, and computational modeling of nuclear systems. His work spans both theoretical frameworks and experimental validation, addressing critical challenges from fundamental materials science to practical reactor applications.

His scientific awards include:

• Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award (2015) - the highest honor for a US Department of Energy midcareer researcher
• American Nuclear Society Fellow (2017)
• AAAS Fellow (2016)

Dr. Wirth has led major research initiatives including the Department of Energy's Energy Innovation Hub (CASL), which received a five-year renewal of funding in January 2015. His work has been supported by substantial DOE grants and has direct applications for improving nuclear safety and developing next-generation nuclear energy systems for both fission and fusion applications.

He leads interdisciplinary research teams working at the intersection of materials science, nuclear engineering, and computational science, utilizing advanced facilities at both UT Knoxville and ORNL to address critical challenges in nuclear materials performance and reactor design.