Principal Fuel Materials Scientist

Protingent; Oak Ridge (TN); On-site; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Protingent in Oak Ridge, TN seeks a Principal Fuel Materials Scientist to lead experimental campaigns and oversee TRISO/ceramic materials development for nuclear fuel qualification. The role focuses on bridging research and production, addressing data gaps with rigorous testing, and coordinating external fabrication as needed.

You will drive in-house capability development for sol-gel processes, CVI, coating, and binder jet 3D printing, while establishing robust QA, sampling plans, and

Qualifications

• Advanced degree (Ph.D. preferred) in Materials Science, Nuclear Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 5+ years in nuclear-fuel, coated-particle, ceramic, or composite materials characterization and testing.
• Develop, validate, and transfer destructive and nondestructive characterization methods.
• Experience defining material lots, sampling plans, and acceptance criteria for heterogeneous or low-defect-rate fuel products.
• Experience with ASME NQA-1, 10 CFR Part 50 Appendix B or equivalent nuclear QA controls.
• Translate process-structure-property relationships into controlled material specifications for fuel production.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute experiments to address data gaps in thermomechanical properties of CVI SiC under extreme conditions.
• Plan fuel irradiation campaigns, modify fuel specs based on data, and oversee external fuel fabrication.
• Lead in-house capability development for sol-gel processes, CVI, TRISO coating, and binder jet 3D printing; plan scale-up to production.
• Develop and validate parallel fuel characterization methods to meet regulatory standards.
• Define material attributes, parameters, sampling plans, and acceptance criteria for TRISO and ceramic-matrix fuels.

Skills

TRISO Expertise

Ceramic Materials

QA & Traceability

Sampling Plans

NDE Methods

Scale-Up Ability

Process-Structure

Education

PhD preferred

Job description

Principal Fuel Materials Scientist

Position Title: Principal Fuel Materials Scientist

Job Responsibilities

• Experimental Architecture: Design and execute rigorous experimental campaigns to address qualification data gaps in the thermomechanical properties of the CVI SiC matrix under simulated extreme conditions.
• Vendor Campaign Oversight: Contribute directly to planning of fuel irradiation campaigns, make precise modifications to existing fuel specifications based on empirical data, and oversee external fuel fabrication with strategic vendors.
• In-House Capability Development: Lead the strategic roadmap for bringing critical fuel fabrication steps in-house. Develop and refine operational methodologies for sol-gel processes, TRISO particle coating, binder jet 3D printing, and internal CVI capabilities. Architect the phased transition plan from small-scale laboratory fabrication to commercial-volume process scale-up.
• Characterization: Develop and validate parallel fuel characterization methods to ensure internal processes meet strict regulatory standards.
• Materials Qualification Basis: Define the material attributes, process parameters, characterization methods, sampling plans, and acceptance criteria that demonstrate TRISO particles and ceramic-matrix fuel lots are representative, reproducible, and suitable for irradiation and safety-test qualification credit.

Job Qualifications

• Education: Advanced degree (Ph.D. preferred) in Materials Science, Nuclear Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a strictly related highly technical discipline.
• TRISO & Ceramic Expertise: 5+ years of experience in nuclear-fuel, coated-particle, ceramic, or composite materials characterization and testing. Direct knowledge of kernel and coating-layer attributes, SiC or ceramic-matrix processing, defect mechanisms, microstructure, thermophysical properties, irradiation behavior, and high-temperature degradation.
• Method Qualification: Demonstrated ability to develop, validate, and transfer destructive and nondestructive characterization methods, including calibration, measurement uncertainty, detection limits, repeatability, reproducibility, and reference standards.
• Sampling & Lot Acceptance: Experience defining material lots, statistically defensible sampling plans, acceptance criteria, defect populations, and data-reduction methods for heterogeneous or low-defect-rate fuel products.
• Nuclear QA & Traceability: Experience executing qualification work under ASME NQA-1, 10 CFR Part 50 Appendix B, or equivalent nuclear QA controls with specimen identity, chain of custody, data pedigree, nonconformance, and configuration management.
• Specification & Scale-Up: Proven ability to translate process-structure-property relationships into controlled material and manufacturing specifications suitable for representative fuel production.

Preferred Job Qualifications

• Direct applied experience developing chemical vapor deposition/infiltration (CVD/CVI) systems, sol-gel chemistry, or advanced binder jet 3D printing processes.
• Track record of successfully scaling complex materials manufacturing processes from R&D laboratory scale to commercial production.
• Deep materials science expertise derived from parallel, extreme-environment industries transitioning into the nuclear sector.

Job Details

Job Type: Full-time

Salary Range: TBD

Location: Oak Ridge, TN (Onsite)

About Protingent

Protingent is an Award-Winning provider of top-tier Engineering and IT talent, trusted by companies at the forefront of innovation — from Software and Aerospace to AI, Clean Tech, Medical Devices, and Connected Technologies. We’re passionate about making a positive impact by connecting exceptional talent with meaningful opportunities and helping our clients build the future.