Steve Skutnik
About Steve Skutnik
Steve Skutnik is an R&D Staff and Reactor Analyst with extensive experience in nuclear engineering and education. He has held positions at various institutions, including the University of Tennessee and North Carolina State University, and has contributed to significant projects in isotopic inventory analysis and nuclear fuel depletion.
Current Position at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Steve Skutnik serves as R&D Staff and Reactor Analyst at Oak Ridge National Laboratory since 2019. In this role, he leads projects that focus on isotopic inventory analysis for non-light water reactor systems. His work includes analyzing severe accident source terms and conducting licensing analysis for various reactor types, such as High-Temperature Gas Reactors (HPR), Pebble Bed Modular Reactors (PBMR), and Molten Salt Reactors (MSR).
Academic Background and Education
Steve Skutnik earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics & Astronomy from Iowa State University from 1998 to 2002. He continued his studies at Iowa State University, obtaining a Master of Science in Nuclear Physics from 2002 to 2005. He later pursued a Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering at North Carolina State University, completing his degree from 2007 to 2011.
Previous Academic Roles
Prior to his current role, Steve Skutnik held several academic positions. He was an Assistant Professor of Nuclear Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville from 2012 to 2019. He also served as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Nuclear Engineering at North Carolina State University from 2011 to 2014. His teaching experience includes working as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at Iowa State University Department of Physics & Astronomy from 2002 to 2003.
Research Contributions and Projects
Steve Skutnik has made significant contributions to nuclear engineering research. He developed the ORIGAMI interface to ORIGEN, which facilitates nuclear fuel depletion calculations in various dimensions. He also contributed to the development of the ORIGEN nuclear fuel depletion code. His research focuses on isotopic inventory analysis and severe accident analysis for advanced reactor systems.
Professional Experience in Nuclear Engineering
Steve Skutnik has a diverse professional background in nuclear engineering. He worked as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory from 2011 to 2012 and as a NESLS Fellow at the same laboratory for two months in 2009. Additionally, he served as a Master Educator for Emergent Technologies at Adler Planetarium from 2005 to 2007, and as a Research Assistant at North Carolina State University from 2007 to 2011.