Nuclear Engineering | Directory Detail

Elia Merzari

Professor

Affiliation(s):

Nuclear Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

228 Hallowell Building

ebm5351@psu.edu

814-863-7469

Bio

Elia Merzari received his Ph.D. from Tokyo Institute of Technology with a thesis on the use of advanced computational fluid dynamics techniques to the simulation of flows in rod bundles. After graduation, he remained in the same institute as a Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science fellow. In 2009, he joined Argonne National Laboratory, first as a postdoctoral fellow and then as a regular staff in 2010. At Argonne, Dr. Merzari served in several roles in the Nuclear Energy Advanced modeling and simulation (NEAMS) program, for which he is currently the thermal-fluids lead. In 2019, he joined the faculty at Penn State as an associate professor. Dr. Merzari’s research relies on predictive large-scale simulations of turbulence to improve our physical understanding of complex flows and to ultimately design safer and more efficient nuclear reactors. He has received several awards related to these efforts in the area of high performance computing including: ANS Landis Young Member Engineering Achievement Award, ASME's George Westinghouse Silver Medal, and a R&D100 award.

Dr. Merzari's CV

Education

BS, Mechanical Engineering/ Energy System Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, 2003
MS, Nuclear Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, 2005
Ph D, Nuclear Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2008

Publications

Research Projects

Honors and Awards

ANS Fellow, American Nuclear Society, September 2023

NURETH Fellow, American Nuclear Society, August 2023

R&D100 Award, R&D World Magazine, November 2023

Service

Service to Penn State:

Service to External Organizations:

About

The Ken and Mary Alice Lindquist Department of Nuclear Engineering at Penn State is one of the top ranked nuclear engineering programs in the United States. The department distinguishes itself with a strong focus on experimental research. The actively growing department leads four educational programs for students pursuing a bachelor of science, a master of science, a master of engineering, or a doctoral degree. The Radiation Science and Engineering Center (RSEC) facilities, including the Breazeale Reactor, are available to nuclear engineering faculty and students at Penn State for research and instruction. RSEC houses the Breazeale Nuclear Reactor, the country’s first and longest operating licensed nuclear research reactor. Having access to an operating research reactor is a key strength for the department and enables Penn State to harness research and educational opportunities that are unique in the United States. See how we’re inspiring change and impacting tomorrow at nuce.psu.edu.