Elizabeth Sooby

Dr. Elizabeth Sooby is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), with a joint appointment in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. She is the founder and principal investigator of the Extreme Environments Materials Laboratory (EEML), a 2000 sq ft radiological facility dedicated to high-temperature synthesis and thermal analysis of uranium-bearing materials for nuclear energy applications. Her work focuses on accident-tolerant nuclear fuels and materials for advanced reactors.

Her educational background includes a Ph.D. and M.S. in Physics from Texas A&M University and a B.S. in Physics from Millsaps College. Prior to UTSA, she was a Staff Scientist II and Seaborg Postdoctoral Fellow at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Dr. Sooby's research interests center on materials physics, nuclear materials, corrosion, high-temperature synthesis, and reaction kinetics. Her lab investigates uranium-based ceramics and intermetallics such as UN, UB2, and U-Mo, using advanced techniques like arc melting, thermal analysis, SEM, XRD, and in situ infrared thermography. The research aims to improve nuclear fuel safety and performance under extreme conditions.

Her recent publications highlight a strong focus on accident-tolerant fuels, including uranium diboride oxidation, silicon carbide recession in TRISO particles, and machine learning integration for real-time monitoring of high-temperature reactions. The work spans experimental synthesis, microstructural characterization, and computational modeling, with applications in both terrestrial and space nuclear systems.

• DOE Early Career Award
• President’s Distinguished Achievement Award in Research Achievement
• Research Achievement Award, University Excellence Awards
• Endowed Fellowship
• G. T. Seaborg GRA Fellow

Dr. Sooby has secured over $1 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Energy and a $3 million NNSA grant for the CONNECT project. She actively mentors a diverse team of undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral researchers and collaborates with national laboratories and industry partners. Her lab supports 8–14 student researchers at any time and has been featured in major news outlets for its contributions to climate change mitigation and space exploration.

The Extreme Environments Materials Laboratory (EEML) is equipped with a Centorr Tri-Arc Furnace, Mbraun glovebox, Hitachi SEM, Bruker XRD, and Netzsch Simultaneous Thermal Analyzer coupled with mass spectrometry. The lab enables safe handling and synthesis of pyrophoric and radiological materials, making it one of the few university labs in the U.S. conducting such research.