Jonathan Burns

Center for Nuclear Security Science and Policy Initiatives

Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station

Jonathan Burns

Jonathan _Burns_profile_picture

Associate Research Scientist

Phone: 979-458-8449
Office: AIEN Annex 105B

Short Bio:

Dr. Jonathan Burns, despite still being an early career scientist, has already had wide range of experience in nuclear science and radiochemistry, which dates back to his undergraduate studies. Before joining NSSPI as an associate research scientist, he was an R&D Associate Radiochemist in the Nuclear Materials Processing Group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). He joined ORNL as a postdoctoral researcher in the Nuclear Materials Processing Group at the Radiochemical Engineering Development Center (REDC) in January of 2013 and was later hired as an R&D Associate Radiochemist within the same group. Burns received his Ph.D. in chemistry from Texas A&M University in 2012 and a B.A. in chemistry from MidAmerica Nazarene University in 2008. He currently conducts research on a wide range of projects within the Pu-238 Production Program, the Cf-252 Program and the Fuel Cycle Research and Development Program, focusing on separations, with an emphasis on ion exchange, spectroscopy, and materials development and characterization. He has experience handle quantities of radioactive material from nanocuries to microcuries in radiological fume hoods, microcuries to millicuries in radiological glove boxes, up to millicuries to curie levels in shielded hot cell facilities. In his time at ORNL he has established himself a field expert in fuel cycle R&D, co-authoring the Higher Americium Oxidation State Research Roadmap for the U.S. Department of Energy Material Recovery and Waste Form Development (MRWFD) Campaign and being invited to the upcoming MRWFD Working Group meeting. He also has played a role in developing the Nation’s interests in isotope production and actinide chemistry as a part of the Isotope Program at ORNL. Burns’s graduate research focused on developing materials and methodologies to achieve a viable separation of americium from curium and trivalent lanthanides, which resulted in the discovery of a new method for oxidizing and stabilizing Am(III) to Am(V). He also investigated Cs and Sr uptake on poorly crystalline silicotitanate (CST). Prior to entering graduate school, in 2007, Burns was awarded an ACS Nuclear & Radiochemistry Undergraduate Summer School Fellowship at San Jose State University. During his undergraduate and graduate career, Burns has conducted research at Los Alamos National Laboratory and Savannah River National Laboratory through internships and collaborative research. He has also authored or coauthored several scientific papers published in refereed journals, as well as made a number of presentations at national and international meetings. Burns’s Research Group is currently interested in three primary areas of investigation: development of new technologies for used nuclear fuel recycling; establishing methodologies for nuclear forensic applications as a means for deterrence of illicit or malicious use of nuclear material; and designing radiopharmaceuticals primarily focused on Targeted Alpha Therapy (TAT). All three of these areas fall under the broad umbrella for actinide science, which is the basis for all the research we conduct.

NSSPI Publications:

  1. J. Einkauf, A. Wilcox, J. Burns, "Bismuthate Behavior with Used Nuclear Fuel Species in Nitric Acid", 2019 American Nuclear Society Annual Meeting, Minneapolis, MN, 9-13 June 2019.

  2. K.J. Glennon, J.M. Osborn, J.D. Burns, E.D. Kitcher, S.S. Chirayath, C.M. Folden III, "Measuring Key Sm Isotope Ratios in Irradiated UO2 for use in Plutonium Discrimination Nuclear Forensics", Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 320, 2 (2019).

  3. J.M. Osborn, K.J. Glennon, E.D. Kitcher, J.D. Burns, C.M. Folden III, S.S. Chirayath, "Experimental Validation of a Nuclear Forensics Methodology for Source Reactor-Type Discrimination of Chemically Separated Plutonium", Nuclear Engineering and Technology, 51, 2 (2019).

  4. J.D. Einkauf, A.J. Wilcox, J.D. Burns, "Solubility and Complexation of the Bismuthate Ion in Nitric Acid Systems", Inorganic Chemistry, 57, 24 (2018).

  5. J.D. Burns and A. Clearfield, "Kinetics of Ion Exchange of Zr/Sn(IV) Phosphonate–Phosphate Hybrid Materials for Separation of Lanthanides from Oxidized Actinides", Solvent Extraction and Ion Exchange, 36, 7 (2018).

  6. J. Osborn, K. Glennon, E. Kitcher, J. Burns, C. Folden, I. III, and S.S. Chirayath, "Computational and Experimental Forensics Characterization of Weapons-grade Plutonium Produced in a Thermal Neutron Environment", Nuclear Engineering and Technology, 50, 6 (2018).

  7. J. Osborn, K. Glennon, E. Kitcher, J. Burns, C. III, S. Chirayath, "Experimental Validation of a Nuclear Forensics Methodology for Source Reactor-Type Discrimination of Chemically Separated Plutonium", presented at 59th Annual Meeting of the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management, Baltimore, Maryland, July 22-26, 2018.

  8. E. Kitcher, J. Burns, "Criticality concerns of a group actinide co-crystallization separations approach to used nuclear fuel recycling", Annals of Nuclear Energy, 115 (2018).

  9. J. Osborn, E. Kitcher, J. Burns, C.M. Folden, S. Chirayath, "Nuclear Forensics Methodology for Reactor-Type Attribution of Chemically Separated Plutonium", Nuclear Technology, 201, 1 (2018).

  10. J.D. Burns, B.A. Moyer, "Uranyl nitrate hexahydrate solubility in nitric acid and its crystallization selectivity in the presence of nitrate salts", Journal of Cleaner Production, 172 (2018).

  11. A.J. Wilcox, B.A. Moyer, J.D. Burns, "A New Group Crystallization Approach in Used Nuclear Fuel Recycling: A Look at Fission Product Behaviors", 2017 ANS Summer Meeting and Nuclear Technology Expo, San Francisco, CA, June 11-15, 2017.

  12. Jonathan D. Burns, Bruce A. Moyer, "Co-Crystallization of AnO22+ with UO2(NO3)2•6H2O: Next Steps", Sigma Team for Advanced Actinide Recycle Research Meeting, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, May 24, 2017.

  13. Jonathan D. Burns, Andrew J. Wilcox, Bruce A. Moyer, "Hexavalent Actinide Co-Crystallization: A Closer Look at the Behavior of the Fission Products", 41st Actinide Separation Conference, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, May 23-25, 2017.

  14. Andrew J. Wilcox, Bruce A. Moyer, Jonathan D. Burns, "Behavior of Sodium Bismuthate as an Oxidizing Agent for a Hexavalent Actinide Co-Crystallization Process", 41st Actinide Separation Conference, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, May 23-25, 2017.

  15. Jonathan D. Burns, Abraham Clearfield, "Separation of oxidized actinides from lanthanides with UMOF ion exchange materials", 41st Actinide Separation Conference, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, May 23-25, 2017.

  16. J. D. Burns, B. A. Moyer, "Actinyl Group Precipitation", Materials Recovery & Waste Forms Development Campaign Working Group Meeting, Albuquerque, NM, United States, 28-30 March 2017.

  17. B. Moyer, J.D. Burns, "Actinyl Co-Crystallization", DOE-JAEA Bilateral Advanced Separations Working Group Meeting, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID, 22-24 March 2017.

  18. S. Hogle, C. W. Alexer, J. D. Burns, J. G. Ezold, G. I. Maldonado, "Sensitivity Studies and Experimental Evaluation for Optimizing Transcurium Isotope Production", Nuclear Science and Engineering, 185, 3 (2017).

  19. J.D. Burns, B.A. Moyer, "Group Hexavalent Actinide Separations: A New Approach to Used Nuclear Fuel Recycling", Inorganic Chemistry, 55, 17 (2016).

  20. J.D. Burns, B.A. Moyer, "FY16 progress report on co-crystallization", Oak Ridge National Laboratory Report FCRD-MRWFD-2016-0003111 (2016).

  21. J.D. Burns, K.G. Myhrea, N.J. Simsa, D.W. Stracenerd, R.A. Bolla, "Effects of annealing temperature on morphology and thickness of samarium electrodeposited thin films", Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, 830 (2016).

  22. K. Myhre, J. Burns, H. Meyer, N. Sims, R. Boll, "Samarium electrodeposited acetate and oxide thin films on stainless steel substrate characterized by XPS", Surface Science Spectra, 23, 1 (2016).

  23. B.A. Moyer, J.D. Burns, "Co-crystallization of hexavalent actinide nitrates: Group actinide separation of uranium through americium", 5th International ATALANTE Conference on Nuclear Chemistry for Sustainable Fuel Cycles, Montpellier, France, 5-10 June 2016.

  24. J.D. Burns, B.A. Moyer, "Co-Crystallization of AnO22+ with UO2(NO3)2•6H2O: What’s Next", Sigma Team for Advanced Actinide Recycle Research Meeting, San Diego, CA, 25 May 2016.

  25. J.D. Burns, B.A. Moyer, "Actinyl group precipitation", Materials Recovery & Waste Forms Development Campaign Working Group Meeting, Richland, WA, United States, 22-24 March 2016.