by Kim Roth
Professor Yang is internationally renowned for his work in the areas of reactor physics and reactor design, particularly fast-neutron reactor core design and development of analytical methods. At U-M, he will head a fast reactor research program and teach related courses, including fast reactor physics and computational methods.
Among the six next-generation reactor designs selected by the Generation IV International Forum, three are fast reactor designs and two can be operated as fast reactors, noted Yang, who has served as general chair for the first four International Technical Review Meetings for Prototype Gen-IV Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor Development in Korea from 2013 to 2015.
After earning his bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering from Seoul National University and his PhD in nuclear engineering from Purdue University, Yang spent seven years as a professor at Chosun University in Korea and 16 years at Argonne National Laboratory, most recently as a senior nuclear engineer. He then returned to Purdue in 2011 as a professor. A Fellow of the American Nuclear Society, he also serves as executive editor of the journal Nuclear Engineering and Technology.
At U-M, Yang is looking forward to continued collaborations with faculty colleagues and to working with students. “It’s always a pleasure to watch their learning and see how they develop themselves and their careers,” Yang said. “Education on reactor analysis and design is so important, not only for future Generation IV reactors but also for current Generation III reactors. As current engineers are retiring, we need to educate the next generation.”
