Dr. Mathew Swinney, a postdoctoral research associate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and NSSPI graduate, visited the TEES Nuclear Security Science and Policy Institute (NSSPI) from February 20th through 21st. Swinney earned a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering in December of 2015 working with NSSPI director Dr. Sunil Chirayath to analyze trace nuclide ratios in weapons-grade plutonium for nuclear forensics analysis. He returned to NSSPI to recruit students for summer internships at ORNL and discuss potential research collaborations between ORNL and NSSPI.
While at NSSPI, Swinney participated in a student roundtable during which he and the students made brief, informal presentations of their research. He toured the NSSPI research labs and met with faculty and staff to discuss areas of possible collaboration. During a meeting of the Texas A&M Student Chapter of the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management (INMM) on Monday evening, Swinney shared his experience as a postdoctoral researcher in his first year after graduation and discussed internship opportunities at ORNL.
