Christopher Lemke
Christopher, hailing from Montgomery, Texas, represents the third generation of Aggies in his family. In 2023, he achieved his undergraduate degree in Nuclear Engineering, accompanied by a Minor in Radiological Health Engineering. While pursuing his B.S., Christopher joined the Advanced Energy Systems Laboratory (AESL) where he gained proficiency in utilizing computational radiation transport codes to develop complex reactor models and perform reactor physics simulation and analysis. Opting to further his academic pursuits at Texas A&M University, Christopher is currently enrolled in the Masters of Science program within the Nuclear Engineering department. Maintaining his affiliation with the AESL, he continues to contribute as a Graduate Researcher. His current research endeavors revolve around fuel depletion and source term studies, with a particular focus on supporting safety analyses pertinent to liquid-fueled, loop-type Molten Salt Reactors (MSRs).
Thabit Abuqudaira
Thabit Abuqudaira is a graduate lecturer at the Nuclear Engineering Department at Texas A&M University. His Ph.D. research focuses on dynamic and stability analysis studies of reactor systems with solid and liquid fuels. Before joining A&M, he was a part-time lecturer and nuclear operator at Jordan University of Science and Technology. Thabit holds an MS in Nuclear Engineering from the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute, where his research was focused on the physics of VVER-type reactors, and a BS in Nuclear Engineering from Jordan University of Science and Technology, where his research was focused on phytoremediation of uranium-contaminated soil.
Shannon Orsak
Shannon Orsak grew up in Sugar Land, Texas, where he developed an interest Chemistry. He went to Christopher Newport University, where he achieved his B.S. in Chemistry with a minor in Computer Science. From his chemistry experience in undergrad, he gained an interest in Nuclear Science. In Spring 2023, he enrolled at Texas A&M University to begin his Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering.
Leon Yadrischenskiy
Leon was born in Komsomolsk-on-Amur in Russia but grew up in Spring Texas for most of his life. He is currently finishing the senior year of his nuclear engineering bachelor’s degree while completing research on Monte-Carlo neutron transport codes. He is interested in developing tools for nuclear engineering simulation programs as they involve some of my favorite subjects like programming and computation.
Daniel Taheri
Daniel Taheri is an undergraduate engineer in the Nuclear Engineering department at Texas A&M. He is interested in exploring the space and energy applications of nuclear power.
Roshan Paul
Roshan Paul is from Carrollton, Texas and is currently pursuing a B.S. in Nuclear Engineering, set to graduate in May 2025. His research focuses on furthering the development of automated fault detection and diagnosis systems for nuclear power, with an emphasis on using data-driven models and machine learning to enhance operational safety and reliability. His work aims to contribute to the growing field of autonomous systems in nuclear energy, aligning with the industry’s need for enhanced safety and efficiency.
James Passmore
Born in Arlington Texas, James joined Texas A&M as an undergraduate in Nuclear Engineering in 2018. Upon graduating in 2022, James went on to pursue his Masters of Science and joined the Advanced Energy Systems Laboratory under Dr. Tsvetkov where he started his research in conducting uncertainty quantification and sensitivity analysis of the Molten Salt Research Reactor particularly in fuel salt composition. Additionally James is a Graduate Full-Year Intern with Sandia National Laboratories. James hopes to be a part of the solution for providing affordable low-emission energy across the world.
Ronald Daryll E. Gatchalian
Ronald obtained his bachelor’s degree in Applied Physics (Health Physics) from the University of the Philippines-Manila in 2016. After graduation, he joined the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI), the sole government agency in the Philippines that is mandated to promote and regulate peaceful uses of nuclear energy in the country. Since 2016, he has been working under the Nuclear Reactor Operations Section of DOST-PNRI which nurtured his interest in nuclear reactor engineering. He underwent several training activities for professional development under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, and Czech Technical University. In 2020, he joined the AESL at Texas A&M University to pursue his interest in the design and analysis of nuclear reactors. His studies were supported by the DOST-Science Education Institute under its Foreign Graduate Scholarship Program. He graduated with a PhD in December 2023, and has returned to the Philippines to continue his career.
Miguel Avalos
Masters Student
Mario Mendoza
Mario is originally from Mexico City, Mexico and moved to the Houston area before beginning middle school. He decided to attend Texas A&M University to study a Bachelors of Science in Nuclear Engineering after developing an interest in high school. Mario graduated from Texas A&M with his B.S. in May 2019 and started his M.S./Ph.D. under Dr. Pavel Tsvetkov the following fall semester. Mario explored various research interests during his undergrad, including nuclear safeguards. Today, his main interests include advanced reactors, with an emphasis on microreactors, advanced nuclear space systems, and potential nuclear system artificial intelligence integration. Mario was a fellow for the Department of Energy NEUP program. He has also had summer internships at the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur, India and at Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation – Tech in Seattle, WA. His M.S. research involved the development of a multi-modal CubeSat-based remote monitoring system for the determination of localized phenomena pertaining to nuclear security through an artificial intelligence characterization methodology. For his PhD research, Mario explored automated, machine learning-based control systems for microreactors. Mario graduated with his PhD in May 2023, and is currently employed at USNC-Tech.