Nuclear engineers at Sandia work in multidisciplinary teams on a variety of projects that involve nuclear reactors, weapons, equipment, and information systems. For example, they design, develop, and test nuclear equipment and systems. They also monitor the testing, operation, and maintenance of nuclear reactors. Moreover, they research new materials of special interest in nuclear reactors, study the nuclear fuel cycle to define the most economical uses of material and the safest means of waste products disposal, and investigate how to detect and control radiation and radioactive contaminants for safety and nonproliferation activities.
Our nuclear engineers analyze the overall nuclear weapons development process, including requirements definition, design, analysis, prototyping, and system testing. They ensure the compatibility and operational readiness of our nation's nuclear weapons with the associated delivery systems. Sandia nuclear engineers also find, evaluate, and respond to problems in the stockpile and provide data and information to support the annual stockpile assessment. In addition, nuclear engineers provide systems engineering and integration for nuclear weapons and associated support equipment, from concept development through stockpile support and dismantlement, as well as engineering design, components, subsystems and integration support for nuclear information systems.
Key areas for nuclear engineers at Sandia
- Nuclear weapon design, development, and integration
- Nuclear materials and properties
- Experimental reactor physics
- Nuclear fuel technologies
- Radiation detection, measurement, and imaging
- Nuclear forensics and proliferation detection
- Radiation transport modeling
- Nuclear fuel cycle facilities and operations
- Sensor systems