Paul Nelson

Center for Nuclear Security Science and Policy Initiatives

Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station

Paul Nelson

Paul_Nelson_profile_picture

Professor Emeritus, Departments of Nuclear Engineering, Computer Science, and Mathematics

Phone: 979.845.4132
Office: AIEN M313B
Other Webpage

Short Bio:

Dr. Nelson is currently Professor Emeritus in the Departments of Nuclear Engineering, Computer Science, and Mathematics and continues to serve in an advisory role to NSSPI faculty and staff. He served as the NSSPI Associate Director for International Programs and directed NSSPI international research and education programs for over ten years before his retirement. 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.

NSSPI Publications:

  1. M. Subbaiah, P. Nelson, "The Role of Quantitative Empirical Analysis in Identifying and Reducing Proliferation Risk", INMM 56th Annual Meeting, Indian Wells, California, 12-16 July 2015.

  2. C.A. Gariazzo, K.H. Ragusa, D.R. Boyle, W.S. Charlton, S.S. Chirayath, C.M. Marianno, P. Nelson, Jr., "The Nuclear Security Science and Policy Institute at Texas A&M University", International Journal of Nuclear Security, 1, 1 (2015).

  3. P. Nelson, "The Dynamic Intervention Game: Intergenerational Transfer of Risk of Nuclear Proliferation", NSSPI Report, NSSPI-15-040 (2015).

  4. J. Cavaluzzi, P. Nelson, V. Moiseytseva, "Computational Evaluation of Station Blackout", Proceedings of the ANS Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX, 7-11 June 2015.

  5. S.B. Gerlt, P. Nelson, S Rajgopal, L.V. Krishnan, "Towards Safeguarding the Fast Breeder Reactor Fuel Cycle", 55th Annual Meeting of the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management, Atlanta, Georgia, 20-14 July 2014.

  6. J. Miller, B. Goddard, P. Nelson, S. Paranjape, A. Littlefield, "Texas A&M University and India Academic Exchange Collaboration of Best Practices in Nuclear Security Education", INMM 54th Annual Meeting, 14-18 July 2013, Palm Desert, California, USA.

  7. A. Batra P. Nelson, "Safety, Safeguards, and Security in Indian Civil Nuclear Facilities", NSSPI Report, NSSPI-12-010 (2012).

  8. K.T. Nelson, P. Nelson, "Probability of Attempted Armed Theft of Nuclear Weapons: Application of the Method of Gott", 52nd Annual Meeting of the Institute for Nuclear Materials Management (INMM), Palm Desert, CA, July 17-21, 2011.

  9. A. Batra, P. Nelson, "Safety, Safeguards and Security in Indian Nuclear Power Plants (3S-INPP)", 52nd Annual Meeting of the Institute for Nuclear Materials Management (INMM), Palm Desert, CA, July 17-21, 2011.

  10. S. Rodgers, C. Betancourt, E. Kee, P. Nelson, P. Rodi, "Toward Quantification of the Uncertainty in Estimating Frequency of Critical Station Blackout", International Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering (M&C 2011), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, May 8-12, 2011.

  11. P. Nelson, "Nuclear Disarmament: Can Risk Analysis Inform the Debate?", Causes and Consequences of Nuclear Proliferation. Routledge: 2011.

  12. P. Nelson, "Reassessing the Nuclear Renaissance", Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 66, 4 (2010).

  13. P. Nelson, "Indo-US Civil Nuclear Energy: Building Mutual Confidence Through Research-Exchange Internships", presented to Third Meeting of the Indo-US Civil Nuclear Energy Working Group, Mumbai, India, February 3, 2010.

  14. P. Nelson, "Perspectives on the Proposed US-India Cooperation in Civil Nuclear Energy", MSC Student Conference on National Affairs, Texas A&M University, February 27, 2010.

  15. P. Nelson, "Book Review: Abolishing Nuclear Weapons by George Perkovich and James M. Acton", Atoms for Peace, 3(2) 143-172 (2010).

  16. P. Nelson C. Sprecher, "Are Sensitive Technologies Enablers of Civil Nuclear Power? An Empirical Study", Atoms for Peace, 3, 2 (2010).

  17. P. Nelson , "An Empirical Assessment of Elements of the Future of Civil Nuclear Energy", NSSPI Report NSSPI-10-001

  18. S.S. Chirayath, G. Hollenbeck, J. Ragusa, P. Nelson, "Neutronic and nonproliferation characteristics of (PuO2-UO2) and (PuO2-ThO2) as fast reactor fuels", Nuclear Engineering and Design, 239, 10 (2009).

  19. T.V.K. Woddi, W.S. Charlton, P. Nelson, Indias Nuclear Fuel Cycle: Unraveling the Impact of the U.S.-India Nuclear Accord, Synthesis Lectures on Nuclear Technology and Society, Morgan & Claypool Publishers, 2009.

  20. S.S. Chirayath, J. Ragusa, and P. Nelson, "Thorium blended and regular MOX burn-up studies for fast reactor fuel cycle safeguards", 50th annual meeting of INMM, July 12-16, 2009, Tucson, AZ, USA.

  21. P. Nelson C.M. Sprecher, "Where will new nuclear power plants be constructed? Validation of a predictive model", Proceedings of 31st Annual Meeting of ESARDA, May 26-28, 2009, Vilnius, Lithuania.

  22. P. Nelson, C.M. Sprecher, "What Determines the Extent of National Reliance on Civil Nuclear Power?", NSSPI Report NSSPI-08-014. 24 October 2008.

  23. P. Nelson, D.R. Boyle, "Flawed India Pact Opposition", Washington Times September 29, 2008.

  24. P. Nelson C.M. Sprecher, "What Determines the Extent of National Reliance on Civil Nuclear Power?", 49th Annual Meeting of the Institute for Nuclear Materials Management (INMM), Nashville, TN, July 2008, .

  25. P. Nelson, "One Last Comment", Nuclear News (June 2008), p. 11 (letter).

  26. S. Chirayath, R. Metcalf, J. Ragusa, P. Nelson, "Assessment of Proliferation Resistance Requirements for Fast-Reactor Fuel-Cycle Facilities", 8th International Conference on Facility Operations - Safeguards Interface, Portland, Oregon, March 30 - April 4, 2008.

  27. P. Nelson, T.V.K. Woddi W.S. Charlton, "A Framework for Analysis of the Weapons Implications of the U.S.-India Nuclear Accord", NSSPI report: NSSPI-07-010.

  28. D. Boyle, P. Nelson, W. Miller, "U.S.-India Nuclear Alert", The Washington Times, 15 July 2007.

  29. T.V.K. Woddi, W.S. Charlton, P. Nelson, J. Ragusa, "A Technical Study of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and the Three Stage Power Program of India for US-India Nuclear Cooperation", Annual Meeting of the Institute for Nuclear Materials Management, July 8-12, 2007, Tucson, AZ.

  30. T. Woddi, W.S. Charlton, Paul Nelson, Jean Ragusa, "Nuclear Fuel Cycle Assessment of India: A Technical Study for Nuclear Cooperation", Proceedings of the 29th ESARDA Annual Meeting, Aix-en-Provence, France, May 22-24, 2007.

  31. P. Nelson, "Stability of the Prospective US-India Civil Nuclear Cooperation", Fifth International Workshop and Round Table on Cooperative Stability in South Asia (The New Regional Scenario and the India-Pakistan Nuclear Dimension), January 2007.