Science serving others

Engineer employs computer code to mitigate climate change and nuclear energy risks

Dave Luxat is the epitome of “science serving others.” He is a second-generation engineer who is empathetic that change is hard, cares greatly about climate change mitigation and is passionate about building on the long-standing heritage of engineers and researchers who came before him. Dave said that we have an opportunity to “stand on the shoulders of giants” to make our world better for future generations, and he won’t see the opportunity slip away.

Dave joined Sandia in 2019 and is the manager of Sandia’s Nuclear Energy Safety Technologies department. The department’s preeminent computer code, Melting Core, or MELCOR, is a fully integrated, engineering-level computer code developed for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to model the progression of severe accidents in nuclear power plants. MELCOR’s technology is vital to the future of nuclear power and clean energy because it allows researchers, scientists and community members to better understand benefits and potential risks associated with nuclear power plants.

Dave graduated from the University of Toronto, where he studied engineering science before receiving his doctorate in theoretical condensed matter physics.

Lab News interviewed Dave to hear his perspective on climate change and how Sandia research is making a difference. Read more.