Graduate Research Assistants

Braden Pecora

Graduate Research Assistant

Braden Scott Pecora is a Ph.D. student in Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin. He is working under the guidance of Professors Kevin Clarno and Michael E. Webber with a focus on computational nuclear energy.

With a B.S. in Computational Engineering, awarded with Highest and Special Honors, Braden’s expertise spans numerical methods, programming, engineering mechanics, fluid dynamics, heat transfer, and nuclear engineering. His current research involves the development of software for multiphysics simulation of molten salt nuclear reactors. Previously, Braden has studied and utilized power sector capacity expansion models and led the development of a proprietary Mixed Integer Linear Program (MILP) for optimal investment in hydrogen infrastructure. Outside of academia, Braden is a performing classical saxophonist and possesses intermediate proficiency in Japanese.

braden.pecora@austin.utexas.edu

Caleb Miller

Graduate Research Assistant

Caleb is a first year Ph.D. student in the mechanical engineering department at the University of Texas at Austin studying computational modeling and design of nuclear reactors. He is currently a part of a team developing multiphysics simulation software led by Ben Collins.

He received a B.S. in Physics from the University of Texas at Austin in December 2022.

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Jacqueline Cottingham

Graduate Research Assistant

Jacqueline Cottingham is a graduate research assistant with over 4 years of experience in the defense industry. During her undergraduate career, she was a founding officer of the University of Texas at El Paso’s rocket team and interned at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. After graduating summa cum laude with her bachelor’s in mechanical engineering, she worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory as a weapons design engineer. Currently, she is involved with gathering data for Triga’s Digital Twin project and is researching anomalies in reactor power oscillation readings. When she is not working, she enjoys running, bouldering, singing in the shower, crocheting, playing video games, dancing, puzzles, trivia, cooking, reading, and playing with her corgi, Jojo.

Alex Macris

Graduate Research Assistant

Alex Macris graduated from UT Austin in 2021 with a B.S. in Radiation Physics. During undergraduate, he did research in neutron detection and simulation for two years. He joined the computational nuclear energy group in Fall 2023 to pursue an M.S. in nuclear engineering. He is interested in research on noble gas fission products and off-gas simulation. macris@utexas.edu

Clayton Hudson

Graduate Research Assistant

Clayton Hudson is a 3^rd year PhD student working under Dr. Derek Haas on MSRR Off-Gases. He received his bachelor of science in physics from UT Austin. He enjoys playing with his dog, good food, rock climbing, music, and games.

Seth Dayawansa

Graduate Research Assistant

Seth Dayawansa is a dedicated Graduate Research Assistant working under the guidance of Dr. Clarno in the Department of Nuclear Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin. With a robust academic background in Mechanical Engineering, Seth earned his bachelor’s degree at UT Austin and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Nuclear Engineering from the same esteemed institution. Seth is an integral part of the research team collaborating with MIT, demonstrating his ability to work on complex and interdisciplinary projects. His role involves addressing challenges in the irradiated forced molten salt flow loop through the application of specialized knowledge in gamma ray spectroscopy and deterministic transport modeling. S.Daya@utexas.edu

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dayawansa

Sree Gudala

Graduate Research Assistant

Sree grew up in the Houston area and attended The University of Texas at Austin where he completed his undergraduate degree in physics with a focus on nuclear engineering. He started the CSEM program in the Oden Institute in Fall 2023. His current research interests lie in the simulation and modeling of advanced nuclear reactors. sree.gudala@austin.utexas.edu

(AHTR).