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Gavrilas named NRC’s executive director for operations

July 22, 2024, 12:00PMNuclear News

Gavrilas

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has named Mirela Gavrilas, currently head of the agency’s Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response, executive director for operations, effective July 28.

The EDO position is the highest-ranking NRC career position, with responsibilities for overseeing the agency’s operational and administrative functions and serving as the chief operating officer.

“Mirela is extraordinarily qualified for this top leadership position, based on her technical expertise, communication and management skills, and demonstrated ability to modernize work processes and metrics,” said Christopher Hanson, NRC chair. “She is well poised to lead the NRC staff as we tackle challenges and embrace new opportunities, particularly after the recent passage of the ADVANCE Act.”

NRC jobs: Gavrilas has been the head of NSIR since 2020, where she has been responsible for developing and implementing security and emergency preparedness policy. Since becoming a senior executive in 2014, she has held management positions for research and test reactors, risk assessment, and reactor systems in the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.

Among her most notable contributions to the NRC mission are the Be riskSMART decision-making framework, a methodology for the probabilistic treatment of safety margins; the construction permit review for Shine Technologies’ medical isotope production facility; the NRC’s original accident-tolerant fuel plan; and security considerations for licensing advanced reactors. She has also led efforts to develop new regulatory frameworks for accident-tolerant fuels and novel molybdenum-99 production facilities.

Background: Gavrilas began her NRC career in 2004 as an engineer in the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research.

She holds a bachelor of science degree in nuclear engineering from the University of Maryland–College Park and a doctorate in nuclear engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she also served as a postdoctoral fellow.

Prior to joining the NRC, she taught nuclear engineering classes, advised master’s and doctoral candidates, and conducted experimental and computational thermal-hydraulic research as an assistant professor at the University of Maryland–College Park.

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christopher hansonexecutive director for operationsmirela gavrilasnrcoffice of nuclear reactor regulationoffice of nuclear security and incident response
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