Dr. Travis W. Knight

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Dr. Knight co-founded MobileNuclear and retained his current position as Professor and Chair, Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering at the University of South Carolina (USC).   His research with the university centers on advanced nuclear fuels, used fuel disposition, nuclear safeguards, and space nuclear power. Dr. Knight has more than 20 years of experience modeling and experimenting with advanced nuclear fuels for a wide range of applications including high-temperature composite, coated particle, and space nuclear fuels. In 2013, Dr. Knight, as Principal Investigator (PI), along with a team of researchers at USC and Idaho National Laboratory were awarded a grant to study uranium silicide (U3Si2) as a candidate accident-tolerant fuel.  In 2014, Dr. Knight and a team that included USC, the University of Florida, and South Carolina State University, along with industry partner, Areva, were awarded a Department of Energy, Integrated Research Project on commercial used fuel drying and storage.  More recent research is focused on aluminum clad, defense-related used fuel. 

In 2001, Dr. Knight received the American Nuclear Society (ANS) Materials Science and Technology Division (MSTD) Significant Contribution Award for work on mixed carbide fuels. In 2011, he received the Fred C. Davison Distinguished Scientist Award given by Citizens for Nuclear Technology Awareness. His reactor design and fuel cycle research with graduate students at USC has twice been recognized nationally with the 2010 and 2011 Department of Energy, Innovations in Fuel Cycle Research Award (http://www.fuelcycleinnovations.org/). He is the 2012 recipient of the Biedenbach Distinguished Service Award and the 2018 Research Progress Award at the University of South Carolina. In 2020, he was selected as for the Breakthrough Leadership in Research award by the Office of the Vice President of Research. Also, in 2020, Dr. Knight was appointed a member of the Governor of South Carolina’s Nuclear Advisory Council. 

Dr. Knight’s teaching includes Reactor Analysis, Radiation Shielding, Nuclear Fuel Cycles, Risk Assessment, and Nuclear Safeguards. He was PI or Co-PI on two successful proposals for SmartState Centers of Economic Excellence related to Nuclear Power at USC (http://smartstatesc.org/). He is the former chair of the Materials Science and Technology Division (MSTD) of ANS and the past Chair of the Education, Training, and Workforce Development Division (ETWDD) of ANS. He also serves as the Faculty Advisor of the USC Student Chapter of ANS and is a member of Alpha Nu Sigma and Tau Beta Pi Honor Societies.

Dr. Knight holds a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from the University of Florida.

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