Brendan Kochunas honored with NERS Departmental Faculty Award from Michigan Engineering
The award recognizes high-impact accomplishments benefitting NERS and Michigan Engineering.
Assistant Professor Brendan Kochunas has been given the NERS Departmental Faculty Award from Michigan Engineering in recognition of his outstanding contributions and meaningful impact on the department and the College.
“The day-to-day keeps me plenty busy and recognition like this is never on my mind,” said Kochunas. “It’s really just trying to stay focused on doing good work. So this came as a surprise to me, but it certainly is an honor for me and it’s humbling to know that my colleagues in NERS think highly of me.”
Specializing in the next generation of numerical methods and parallel algorithms for high-fidelity computational reactor physics, Kochunas investigates advanced techniques in neutron transport, nuclide transmutation, multi-physics, parallel programming, and HPC architectures. He leads the Nuclear Reactor Analysis and Methods Group—or NuRAM—research group.
During his time as a NERS PhD student, he initiated the development of the MPACT code, which became the main deterministic neutronics tool within the Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (CASL) project and subsequently within the Virtual Environment for Reactor Applications (VERA). MPACT was not only born out of his PhD research but has also become a central research tool in the work of more than 14 other PhD students in the NERS department.
Beyond his research contributions, Kochunas has made a significant impact as an educator and mentor. Working with the Center for Academic Innovation at the University of Michigan for the XR Initiative, Prof. Kochunas and his group also developed the Virtual Ford Nuclear Reactor (VFNR). The VFNR is an immersive and interactive virtual reality replica of the Ford Nuclear Reactor for conducting reactor physics experiments and is freely available to the public. As the Charles and Elizabeth Schrock Faculty Development Professor, he actively supports and guides students in their academic and professional growth. His influence extends through his mentorship, fostering the next generation of nuclear engineers and computational physicists.
Kochunas has also been recognized with several other prestigious awards, including the 2024 ANS Early Career Reactor Physicist Award and the 2022 DOE-NE Distinguished Early Career Program Award.
“Brendan has been a driving force for modernizing our approach to nuclear engineering since he joined the faculty,” said NERS Chair Todd Allen. “He is also an excellent faculty colleague who helps others to excel. He is an excellent choice for this award.”