Director, NSSPI
Associate Professor, Nuclear Engineering Department
Email:
wcharlton@tamu.edu
Phone: 979.845.7092
Office: 336E Zachry Engineering Center
Personal Webpage
Dr. Charlton serves as the Director of NSSPI and as such directs
the overall NSSPI activities. Dr. Charlton is an expert in the area
of nuclear nonproliferation research and education. Prior to his
appointment at TAMU, he was an Assistant Professor in the Nuclear
and Radiation Engineering Program at the University of Texas at
Austin from 2000-2003. From 1998-2000, Dr. Charlton was a Technical
Staff Member in the Nonproliferation and International Security
Division at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). He remains
heavily involved with many of the National Laboratories including:
consultation on nuclear material safeguards and national security
projects, providing graduate and undergraduate students for summer
programs and new hires, collaborating with laboratory staff on
various funded research projects, and helping to provide continuing
education opportunities for laboratory employees. He teaches
courses which study the technical aspects of nuclear
nonproliferation, safeguards, and nuclear security as well as
fundamentals of nuclear engineering. Dr. Charlton earned a Ph.D. in
Nuclear Engineering from Texas A&M University. Among his many
awards, Dr. Charlton was named the George Armistead Jr. '23 Faculty
Fellow at TAMU in 2005, was awarded the Dwight Look College of
Engineering Faculty Fellow in 2007, was recognized as the Advisor
of the Year by the TAMU Division of Student Affairs in 2009, and
earned the Special Service Award from the Institute of Nuclear
Materials Management in 2010. Dr. Charlton is recognized as one of
the leaders in the technical area of nuclear nonproliferation
education and research. He has over 150 technical publications in
refereed journals and conference proceedings.
Deputy Director, NSSPI
Visiting Associate Professor, Nuclear Engineering Department
Email:
dboyle@tamu.edu
Phone: 979.862.8037
Office: 335K Zachry Engineering Center
Personal Webpage
Dr. Boyle serves as the Deputy Director for NSSPI and provides
directions for all NSSPI research activities at TAMU. Dr. Boyle has
vast expertise in nuclear weapons test monitoring and brings
experience in operating a successful research center to the NSSPI
team. Dr. Boyle has served as the Deputy Director of the TEES
Center for Space Power and later the Director of the TEES
Spacecraft Technology Center from August 1993 to August 2006. He
was also appointed as a Visiting Associate Professor in the Nuclear
Engineering Department from August 1993 to May 1997 teaching
graduate courses in nuclear safety and probabilistic risk
assessment as well as conducting research on the disposition of
excess nuclear weapons material. Prior to joining Texas A&M
University, Dr. Boyle was a Lt. Colonel in the US Air Force serving
as the National Nuclear Weapons Stockpile Manager for the Joint
Staff and as the DOD action officer on the Nuclear Weapons Council.
He has also commanded teams monitoring the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
and was responsible for evaluating multi-source data from the U.S.
Atomic Energy Detection System. Dr. Boyle earned a Ph.D. in Nuclear
Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Associate Director for International Programs, NSSPI
Professor Emeritus, Nuclear Engineering, Computer Science, and Mathematics Departments
Email:
p-nelson@tamu.edu
Phone: 979.845.4132
Office: 336D Zachry Engineering Center
Personal Webpage
Dr. Nelson serves NSSPI as the Associate Director for
International Programs and directs NSSPI international research and
education programs. He has unparalleled contacts in Russia and
India and has worked on developing collaborations with India in
support of the U.S.-India Nuclear Cooperation Agreement of 2005.
Dr. Nelson holds joint appointments as a professor in the
Departments of Computer Science, Nuclear Engineering, and
Mathematics. He has served on the faculty at Texas A&M
University since 1987. From 1972-1987, he was a Professor of
Mathematics at Texas Tech University. Prior to this he served as a
research fellow at the University of New Mexico and a visiting
lecturer at the Carnegie Institute of Technology. He was Director
of the Institute for Numerical Transport Theory at Texas Tech
University from 1977-1987, Coordinator of Mathematical Research at
Oak Ridge National Laboratory from 1962-1972, and Supervisor of the
Applications Programming Group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
from 1966-1967. He is a Fellow of the American Nuclear Society and
a TEES Fellow. He served on the National Academy of Sciences
Exchange Program for Poland in 1983 and the National Science
Foundation U.S.-India Exchange of Scientists Program in 1981. Dr.
Nelson's research interests are in the areas of nuclear materials
management, transport theory and computational methods. Dr. Nelson
earned a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of New Mexico in
1969.
Bush School Liaison Officer, NSSPI
Executive Professor, Bush School of Government and Public Service
Email:
skirkpatrick@bushschool.tamu.edu
Phone: 979.845.7063
Office: Allen Rm. 2137B
Personal Webpage
Dr. Sam Kirkpatrick is the Bush School Liaison Officer for NSSPI
and coordinates NSSPI interactions with the Bush School of
Government and Public Service. Dr. Kirkpatrick is the Executive
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Management and Executive
Professor at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at
Texas A&M University. He has served as a department head, a
dean, two university presidencies, and as a member of numerous
national boards, associations, activities and other civic and
public service organizations. He is a Senior Fellow at Strategic
Initiatives, Inc., where he provides consultative services in
strategic planning, continuous quality improvement, change
management and technology innovations for nonprofit organizations.
In addition, he serves as an advisor/Senior Executive to boards in
the areas of fundraising and strategic planning and as an
independent management consultant. His expertise draws on an
academic background in public and nonprofit management,
organizational dynamics, quality assurance, strategic planning,
public policy and information technology applications, plus
successful leadership experience as a university president on two
occasions, academic dean and department chair, public
affairs/public policy center director and statewide honors program
director. In addition, he has been principal or co-principal
investigator on research and program development grants from the
Ford Foundation, U.S. Civil Service Commission, NSF, Kerr
Foundation, AT&T Foundation, NIH, AID, and the National
Strategy Information Center, among others. Dr. Kirkpatrick received
a Ph.D. and M.A. in political science from The Pennsylvania State
University and a bachelor's degree and honorary doctorate in public
service from Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania. Special areas
of interest include public policy, strategic planning, nonprofit
cultural and arts management, continuous improvement and
assessment, information and communications technology, fundraising,
human resource and professional development strategies, and
organizational change management.
TEES Research Scientist, NSSPI
Email:
paulobarretto@tamu.edu
Phone: 979.845.7092
Office: 336B Zachry Engineering Center
Paulo Barretto is a former International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) Director for Technical Cooperation programs for Europe,
Latin America and West Asia who currently serves as a consultant on
international nuclear projects. He holds the B.Sc. in
Geology/Geophysics from the University of São Paulo in 1961 and
M.A. (1972) and Ph.D. (1974) degrees in Nuclear Geophysics from
Rice University, Houston, Texas, plus a degree from the Brazilian
War College (1984). He also received training at the CEA in France
(1965-66) and at the U.S. D.O.E. (1968). He served as a
Geophysicist with the Brazilian Nuclear Energy Commission
(1963-1974), as Associate Professor of Geophysics at the University
of São Paulo (1974 to 1975). He joined the IAEA in 1975 as First
Officer in the Division of Nuclear Power and Fuel Cycle. From 1981
until 1986, he returned to CNEN in Brazil and was Consultant to the
Brazilian National Security Council. He rejoined the IAEA in 1988
at the Department of Technical Cooperation as Head of the Latin
America Section and later, as Director, Division of Technical
Co-operation for Europe, Latin America and West Asia. From 2002 to
2005, he was Chief of the Multidisciplinary Inspections in Iraq for
the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission
(UNMOVIC).
TEES Research Scientist, NSSPI
Visiting Assistant Professor, Nuclear Engineering Department
Email:
sunilsc@tamu.edu
Phone: 979.862.2616
Office: 336C Zachry Engineering Center
Personal Webpage
Dr. Sunil S. Chirayath is a TEES Research Scientist at NSSPI and
simultaneously holds the position of visiting assistant professor
in the Department of Nuclear Engineering at Texas A&M
University. Prior to joining NSSPI, he served the Indian Atomic
Energy Regulatory Board in various capacities for 17 years and has
vast experience in Indian nuclear fuel cycle. Dr. Sunil's expertise
is in applying Monte Carlo methods to analyze reactor core physics,
radiation shielding and medical physics problems. He has made
research contributions towards the design of Proto-type Fast
Breeder Reactor, currently under construction in India. He was
involved in the core physics review of Russian VVERs being built in
India. He is currently working at NSSPI on a DOE funded project on
fast breeder reactors and its fuel cycle facilities as well as DNDO
funded project on HEU interdiction. He has completed one year
stipendiary training course on health physics aspects of nuclear
fuel cycle conducted by the Bhabha Atomic Research Center, India in
1991. He also underwent a two weeks training course in 1997 on
safety standards in radiation protection conducted by the IAEA in
Japan. Dr. Sunil earned his M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Physics from the
University of Calicut and the University of Madras, India,
respectively. He has about 50 technical publications in refereed
journals and conference proceedings.
TEES Associate Research Engineer, NSSPI
Email:
cgariazzo@tamu.edu
Phone: 979.862.8041
Office: 335H Zachry Engineering Center
Claudio Gariazzo is an associate research engineer with the
Nuclear Security Science and Policy Institute at Texas A&M
University. He has a Master of Science degree in Nuclear/Mechanical
Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin (2003). Mr.
Gariazzo has worked as a safeguards specialist in the Oak Ridge
National Laboratory's International Safeguards group, has managed
projects under the Department of Energy Safeguards Cooperation
Agreement with the Argentine Nuclear Regulatory Authority, and
supported safeguards collaboration projects with the Chinese
Institute of Atomic Energy, the Brazilian National Atomic Energy
Commission, and the Brazilian-Argentine Agency for Nuclear Material
Control and Accounting. Past projects Mr. Gariazzo has participated
in and lectured on include the 2005 Joint U.S.-China Integrated
Nuclear Materials Management Technology Demonstration in Beijing,
the 2006 Iraq Inventory Reestablishment Training Workshop, the 2007
Unannounced Inspection Procedures Workshop for ABACC and IAEA
Inspectors for Brazilian Enrichment Facilities, the 2007
International Workshop for Best Practices for Material Hold-Up
Monitoring, as well as various other training workshops on
nondestructive assay techniques and other safeguards technologies
for both domestic and international experts. Currently, Mr.
Gariazzo is pursuing his Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering from TAMU
with a specialization in nuclear nonproliferation and nuclear
material safeguards.
TEES Research Engineer, NSSPI
Visiting Assistant Professor, Nuclear Engineering Department
Email:
marianno@tamu.edu
Phone: 979.845.6093
Office: 335M Zachry Engineering Center
Personal Webpage
Dr. Craig Marianno's areas of interest include nuclear counter
terrorism, nuclear instrumentation development, exercise
development, radiological consequence management and environmental
health physics. From 2000 - 2009 Dr. Marianno worked for the Remote
Sensing Laboratory (RSL) and served in many of the National Nuclear
Security Administration's emergency response teams. He has been a
member and team lead for the Nuclear/Radiological Advisory Team
(NRAT), Capital Region Search Team (CRST), Aerial Measurements
System (AMS), Consequence Management Response Team (CMRT), Federal
Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center (FRMAC) Search
Response Team (SRT) and a Captain on the Radiological Assistance
Program (RAP). He was responsible for generating the dose
assessment and geographic data sets for every Nuclear Power plant
exercise in which the DOE participates from 2004 to 2007. From 2007
to 2009 he managed the engineering group responsible for developing
custom instrumentation for the detection of radiation in unique
environments. He has a Bachelor's in Physics from the University of
California at Davis, a Master's in Radiological Health Sciences
from Colorado State and a PhD in Radiation Health Physics from
Oregon State. He is a Certified Health Physicist, a member of the
Health Physics Society and a member of the Society's Homeland
Security Committee.
Website Designer, NSSPI
Email:
kelleyragusa@tamu.edu
Phone: 979.862.2626
Office: 335G Zachry Engineering Center
Kelley Ragusa is currently the website designer for NSSPI. She
has a Master of Arts from the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign (1999) and a Bachelor of Arts from Texas A&M
University (1997). She was previously an information analyst at the
University of Texas, working on the University EID team, and has
also worked as a technical translator, an ESL trainer for engineers
in France, a university instructor, and a high school English
teacher.
Administrative Assistant, NSSPI
Email:
ghrodgers@tamu.edu
Phone: 979.845.7092
Office: 336A Zachry Engineering Center
Gayle Higdon-Rodgers is the Administrative Assistant for the
Nuclear Security Science and Policy Institute and has 30 years of
Academia and Corporate Administrative experience.
Program Manager, NSSPI
Email:
lwilson@tamu.edu
Phone: 979.862.2646
Office: 335F Zachry Engineering Center
Lana Wilson is currently the Program Manager for NSSPI. She
joined the NSSPI team in 2008 and has over 15 years of experience
administering research activities at TAMU. Ms. Wilson's prior
experience includes serving as Program Coordinator for the Space
Research Centers at Texas A&M, and she has been working in the
Texas A&M University System for 20 years.