Wei Ji

Professor Wei Ji holds the William H. Hernstadt '57 Faculty Fellow position in Nuclear Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), where he also directs the Walthousen Reactor Critical Facility. He leads the Nuclear Computing and Multi-Physics (NuCoMP) Research Group, focusing on advanced computational techniques for nuclear energy, medical physics, and space exploration applications. He earned his B.S. and M.S. from Tsinghua University and his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. His research addresses challenges in reactor design, radiation therapy, Monte Carlo methods, and rad-hard electronics for space missions, supported by over $14M in funding from agencies like DOE, NASA, and NIH.

Education:

• B.S. in Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University (1999)
• M.S. in Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University (2002)
• M.S. in Nuclear Engineering, University of Michigan (2004)
• Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering, University of Michigan (2007)

Research Interests: Professor Ji’s work bridges computational methods with nuclear applications, including:

• Neutron transport modeling and reduced-order methods
• Advanced reactor design and safety analysis
• Radiation therapy dose computation
• Space-compatible power device reliability
• Multiphysics coupling for reactor transient analysis

His recent studies emphasize cryogenic propulsion systems, molten salt reactor chemistry, and radiation-hardened electronics for extreme environments.

Notable Achievements:

• Over 160 peer-reviewed publications since 2008
• DOE/ANS awards for research excellence
• 2019 NEAGS Teaching Award and 2018 RPI Education Innovation Award

Grants & Advising:

• Total funding: $14M+ from DOE, NASA, NIH, NRC, and industry
• Focus areas include NEAMS Program contributions, NRC safety assessments, and NASA ESI-funded space technology

Labs & Teams: His NuCoMP Group collaborates with national labs (LANL, ANL) and industry partners to develop next-generation simulation tools and hardware for nuclear systems. Current projects include:

• Metamodel-driven Monte Carlo workflows
• Equation-free multiscale fluid modeling
• Radiation effects on SiC/Si devices