Draft:Chad L. Pope

• Comment: In accordance with Wikipedia's Conflict of interest guideline, I disclose that I have a conflict of interest regarding the subject of this article. Curtlsmith (talk) 00:35, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

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Chad L. Pope, Ph.D., P.E. is an U.S. nuclear engineer and academic currently serving as a Professor and the Nuclear Engineering Program Director at [Idaho State University](https://www.isu.edu) (ISU). With over 24 years of experience at the [Idaho National Laboratory](https://www.inl.gov) (INL) prior to becoming a professor, Dr. Pope is recognized for his expertise in nuclear safety, criticality safety, and risk-informed decision-making.

Education

Dr. Pope earned all three of his academic degrees from Idaho State University:

• B.S. in General Engineering (1989)
• M.S. in Nuclear Science and Engineering (1993)
  • Thesis:*"Prompt Neutron Decay Constant Measurement Using Rossi’s-α Method," Major Advisor: Albert E. Wilson
• Ph.D. in Nuclear Science and Engineering (2011)
  • Dissertation: "Spent Nuclear Fuel Assembly Inspection Using Neutron Computed Tomography," Major Advisor: Michael J. Lineberry

Professional Career

Industry Experience (1989–2013)

Before entering academia, Dr. Pope spent nearly a quarter-century in the nuclear industry. His early career included roles at the Naval Reactors Facility (1989–1991), where he focused on fuel handling criticality safety for naval reactor fuel.

He later joined Argonne National Laboratory-West (which later became part of Idaho National Laboratory), where he served as a technical lead for nuclear safety at the Materials and Fuels Complex. His work involved supporting major facilities such as:

• Experimental Breeder Reactor-II (EBR-II)
• Fuel Conditioning Facility (FCF)
• Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT)

Later, he served as a Nuclear Safety & Criticality Safety Engineer at the Idaho National Laboratory (2005 – 2013). He was the technical Lead for nuclear safety at the Materials and Fuels Complex and provided technical supervision for nine safety analysts covering ten nuclear facilities. His research included radiation and chemical dose consequence analysis, shielding analysis, depletion analysis, and unreviewed safety question evaluations. He also was the project lead of the Fuel Conditioning Facility Safety Analysis Report upgrade. The project produced a DOE-STD-3009 compliant safety analysis reclassifying multiple Structures, Systems, and Components from safety class to defense-in-depth and reduced the number of Technical Safety Requirements.

Academic Career (2013–Present)

In August 2013, Dr. Pope joined the faculty of Idaho State University. He was promoted to Professor with tenure in 2018 and has served as the **Department Chair** of Nuclear Engineering since 2016. He maintains a **Joint Appointment** with the Idaho National Laboratory, bridging the gap between academic research and national laboratory operations. His impact includes developing a hands-on nuclear criticality safety workshop for industry representatives using the Idaho State University subcritical assembly. The workshop has been conducted nearly forty times for more than 250 participants. He also assisted the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute with the development of the nuclear safety strategy for a commercial scale spent nuclear fuel pyroprocessing facility.

In 2021, he was awarded as the Idaho State University Outstanding Researcher.

Teaching Impact (2013-Present)

• Introduction to Nuclear Engineering (NE 1120) • Nuclear Engineering Focus Areas and Computational Methods (NE 2299) • Nuclear Engineering II (NE 3302) • Introduction to Nuclear Measurements (HPHY 4416/5516) • External Dosimetry (HPHY 4433/5533) • Reactor Physics (NE 4445/5545) • Nuclear Systems Laboratory (NE 4447) • Nuclear Criticality Safety (NE 4452/5599) • Monte Carlo Methods and Applications (NE 4458/5558) • Reliability and Risk Assessment (NE 4478/5578) • Nuclear Nonproliferation (NE 4488/5588) • Project Design (NE 4496) • Nuclear Engineering Experiments (NSEN 6601) • Dynamic Behavior of Nuclear Systems (NSEN 6604) • Radiation Transport (NSEN 6608)

Research and Contributions

Dr. Pope’s research focuses on the intersection of nuclear safety and advanced computational modeling. Key areas of interest include:

• Risk Analysis & Flooding: Investigating the performance of nuclear power plant components under flooding conditions and developing Bayesian inference models for reliability.
• Nuclear Criticality Safety: Developing safety analysis frameworks for pyroprocessing and advanced fuel cycles.
• Digital Twins:** Researching the application of "Digital Twins" for the remote monitoring of nuclear reactors, specifically using the ISU AGN-201 research reactor as a test bed. This research project produced the world’s first operating nuclear reactor Safeguards Digital Twin using machine learning and reactor physics models capable of remotely and autonomously identifying inappropriate reactor operations intended for the illicit production of special nuclear material.
• Reactor Physics: Utilizing Finite Element Analysis (FEA) coupled with Monte Carlo neutron transport to simulate thermal expansion and reactivity effects.

Selected Publications

• The AGN-201 Digital Twin: A test bed for remotely monitoring nuclear reactors* (2025)
• Nuclear Reactor Thermal Expansion Reactivity Effect Determination Using Finite Element Analysis Coupled with Monte Carlo Neutron Transport Analysis* (2020)
• Comparison of free surface flow measurements and smoothed particle hydrodynamic simulation for potential nuclear power plant flooding simulation* (2019)
• Beam characterization at the neutron radiography reactor* (2013)

Professional Affiliations

• Licensed **Professional Engineer (P.E.)** in the nuclear discipline.
• Consultant for **TerraPower** (Natrium reactor project) and **Boston Government Services**.

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External Links

• [Idaho State University Faculty Profile](https://www.isu.edu/ne/people/faculty/)
• [Google Scholar – Chad Pope](https://www.google.com/search?q=https://scholar.google.com/citations%3Fuser%3DDfQ8Yl0AAAAJ)