The Department of Nuclear Engineering at Texas A&M University welcomes assistant professor Stephen Raiman, who joins the department after four years as a staff scientist at the Materials Science and Technology Division of Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Raiman received his undergraduate degree in physics at the University at Buffalo before continuing with his doctoral degree in nuclear engineering and radiological sciences at the University of Michigan. He studies how materials behave in extreme environments. More specifically, he studies how the materials in an advanced nuclear reactor wear down and corrode over time.
“Lately, I’ve been working on material interactions and compatibility with molten salts,” he said. Other research interests include radiation effects in nuclear materials, ion irradiation, stress corrosion cracking and high temperature corrosion.
Over the years, Raiman has encountered many former Aggies in different positions throughout the industry. He noticed that they always had great things to say about their time at Texas A&M, and it was eventually this detail that encouraged his transition.
“The department has great resources, both in terms of people and facilities,” said Raiman. “I believe I will have what I need to run the kind of research program I want to run, and train excellent students who go on to make contributions to our field.”
Raiman’s biggest strength that he brings to the department is his willingness to collaborate and work with others. “The people I’ve met in the department have been very welcoming, and I’m excited to work with colleagues who have been doing research that I have admired for a long time.”
In addition to being a nuclear engineer, Raiman is also an environmentalist with interest in clean energy, alternative transportation and sustainable cities.