Aalo Atomics
Senior FEA Analyst – Nuclear Fuel Behavior & Operations
Austin, TX · On-site · Senior · Full-time · Posted Jun 2, 2026
- Experience
- Minimum 5–8+ years in computational mechanics, including at least 3 years in nuclear fuel performance modeling or core materials evaluation.
- Education
- Master’s or Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, or a highly relevant engineering discipline.
- Visa sponsorship
- Applicants must be U.S. Citizens or U.S. Persons in compliance with 10 CFR Part 810 and may not hold non-compliant foreign citizenships.
About the job
Leads high-fidelity modeling and safety evaluation of nuclear fuel assemblies and core components to support fuel design, operational reliability, and regulatory safety margins.
What you'll do
- Develop 2D and 3D finite element models of fuel behavior under steady-state, transient, and accident scenarios; evaluate pellet-cladding interactions and degradation phenomena.
- Apply and customize nuclear fuel performance codes and lead model verification, validation, and quality assurance.
- Prepare and authorize technical and licensing reports supporting nuclear fuel safety margins before regulatory authorities.
What they ask for
- Master’s or Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, or a highly relevant engineering discipline.
- Advanced proficiency with BISON or FRAPCON and Abaqus or ANSYS Mechanical.
- Knowledge of high-temperature materials, radiation effects, and fracture mechanics; scripting and code customization with Python, C++, or Fortran.
- Familiarity with nuclear quality assurance frameworks (NQA-1); based in the United States and willing to work on-site in Austin, TX.
Nice to have
- Experience with advanced technology fuels, such as Accident Tolerant Fuel, doped UO2, silicide fuels, or liquid metal/molten salt reactor fuel elements.
- Active or prior U.S. DOE Q-Level or DoD Secret security clearance; peer-reviewed publications or regulatory presentations.
Tools
BISON, FRAPCON, FRAPTRAN, ENIGMA, Abaqus, ANSYS Mechanical, Python, C++
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative