Aaron Huxford given NEUP Award of Excellence
Huxford was awarded through the NEUP Innovations in Nuclear Energy Research & Development Student Competition.
Aaron Huxford, who recently finished his doctoral studies at NERS, has been honored with an Award of Excellence through the NEUP Innovations in Nuclear Energy Research & Development Student Competition. He was recognized for the paper “A hybrid domain overlapping method for coupling System Thermal Hydraulics and CFD codes,” which was published in Annals of Nuclear Energy in September of 2023.
Originally from Green Bay, Wisconsin, Huxford holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and recently completed his dual Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences and Scientific Computing here at the University of Michigan.
During his time at NERS, Huxford was a Graduate Teaching Assistant for Professor Manera’s NERS 547 course, where he shared his expertise in Computational Fluid Dynamics for Industrial Applications. Additionally, he played an integral role in organizing and hosting the department’s prospective graduate student visit weekends. He researched in Manera’s Experimental and Computational Multiphase Flow Laboratory.
Throughout his doctoral studies, Huxford focused on advancing the safety analysis of current and next-generation nuclear reactor systems. His research primarily revolved around coupling System Thermal Hydraulics and Computational Fluid Dynamics codes, a pioneering method that holds immense potential for enhancing reactor safety protocols.
With his PhD successfully defended, Huxford is poised to embark on the next chapter of his career. He will continue his journey as part of the Safety Analysis team at Kairos Power, contributing to the advancement of nuclear energy technologies and safety standards.
Huxford expresses his heartfelt gratitude to Professor Kiedrowski for his invaluable guidance and support during the culmination of his doctoral journey.
“I want to thank Professor Kiedrowski for the additional help and guidance he provided during the last couple years of my PhD,” said Huxford.