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Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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Jul 2026
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2026
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Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2026
Nuclear Technology
August 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
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The human factor in licensing and operating the next generation of nuclear plants
As human factors specialists working at the intersection of human performance and nuclear operations, we are witnessing one of the nuclear sector’s most significant transitions in decades. The emergence of small modular reactors, microreactors, and other advanced designs is reshaping the industry’s landscape. Digital instrumentation and controls, passive safety systems, and increased automation are creating opportunities for greater safety margins and more flexible operation. These same features also fundamentally redefine what it means to “operate” a nuclear plant. Interactions among human roles, automation, and passive systems shape how people maintain awareness, exercise judgment, and intervene when necessary. These developments affect both operational realities and the regulatory foundations on which nuclear safety is built.
Chicago Local Section Event
March 28, 2024|7:00–8:00PM (8:00–9:00PM EDT)
Available to All Users
The ANS Chicago Section invites you to a presentation from Amanda Bachmann of Argonne National Laboratory about the impacts of deploying reactors fueled by High-Assay Low Enriched Uranium (HALEU).
The US is looking to deploy new reactor designs that will require HALEU fuel, which is needed by the current fleet of commercial reactors. Amanda's work models the deployment of select advanced reactors and the fuel cycle impacts of those deployments, as well as how decisions about those deployments affect the fuel cycle impacts. In addition, this work introduces a new method of dynamically modeling fuel depletion during a fuel cycle simulation.
Amanda is a postdoctoral researcher in the Reactor and Fuel Cycle Analysis Group at Argonne National Laboratory. Her work focuses on modeling, simulation, and software development for nuclear fuel cycle analysis. Previous work also includes modeling and simulation for nonproliferation safeguards applications. She holds a PhD in Nuclear, Plasma, Radiological Engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (2023), an MS (2020) and BS (2019) in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. In her free time, she enjoys crocheting, gymnastics, and playing with her rabbit, Little R.
