Rodolfo Vaghetto – Research Assistant Professor – Texas A&M University Dr. Rodolfo Vaghetto is a research assistant professor at Texas A&M University. He earned his PhD and Master’s in Nuclear Engineering at Texas A&M University where he developed experimental and computational skills working on different projects aiming at advancing the understanding of in-vessel and ex-vessel phenomena of advanced reactors. His expertise and research focus include computational and experimental thermal-hydraulics applied to advanced reactors (Gas-Cooled Reactors, Liquid Metal Fast Reactors, Molten Salt Reactors) and existing Light Water Reactors (LWR). In 2015 he led a multi-institutional project sponsored by the DOE to design, construct, and operate a large replica of a liquid metal fast reactor wire wrapped fuel assembly that has been operated and used in the last years and produced a wide, unique set of high-fidelity experimental data of pressure and flow fields that have been used nationwide and worldwide as reference and benchmark. Dr. Vaghetto has also led the construction and operation of a large scale LWR fuel test bundle operating at high pressure and temperature. The facility is in use to support the development of new measurement devices and to accelerate the deployment of advanced fuels. Dr. Vaghetto was part of a challenge project that led to the resolution of one of the most complex generic safety issues for LWR in history, the GSI-191, and contributed with his expertise in reactor operations and licensing. Through this project Dr Vaghetto contributed to the development of an innovative methodology that has been accepted by the regulator and referenced by several utilities nationwide. Dr Vaghetto has developed several quality assurance programs in the laboratory and he is a certified project manager professional (PMP)
