Stephen A Taller

Bio

Dr. Stephen Taller joined ORNL in 2020 as an Alvin M. Weinberg Fellow in the Nuclear Energy and Fuel Cycle Division. Prior to joining ORNL, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan and completed a Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences at the University of Michigan in 2020. Stephen Taller has extensive experience in designing, conducting, and analyzing experiments to study radiation damage effects in neutron irradiated and ion irradiated materials, primarily using transmission electron microscopy. Stephen currently serves as a member of several professional and technical committees and as co-chair of ORNL's PRISM employee resource group. 

Research Interests

• Radiation effects in metals, alloys, and ceramics
• Microstructural characterization of metals and alloys
• Ion irradiation as a surrogate for neutron irradiation
• Advanced alloy development for nuclear applications
• Advanced manufacturing methods for nuclear technology
• Optimizing the nuclear structural materials development cycle

Awards

• Top 100 Most Downloaded Article in Materials Science in Scientific Reports for 2021, out of 23000+ articles published in Scientific Reports in 2021.
• ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award - Honorable Mention, University of Michigan, Recognizes highly accomplished graduate students who produced exceptional dissertations of outstanding scholarly quality in any field of study. Selected from over 800 dissertations submitted in calendar year 2020.
• Alvin M. Weinberg Distinguished Staff Fellowship, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 2020-2023
• Innovations in Nuclear Technology R&D, 2018 Nuclear Technology Student Innovator, First Place, Advanced Fuels, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy, Office of Nuclear Technology R&D, 2018
• Richard and Eleanor Towner Prize for Outstanding Ph.D. Research, University of Michigan, College of Engineering, Oct. 2018
• Outstanding Contribution in Reviewing, Journal of Nuclear Materials, Elsevier, 2017
• Nuclear Energy University Programs Graduate Fellowship, 2013-2016

Education

• University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
  • Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences
  • MSE in Nuclear Engineering
• Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
  • B.S. in Nuclear Engineering

Professional Affiliations

TMS Nuclear Materials Committee, 2021-Present

ASTM E10 Committee, 2022 - Present

NSUF Users Organization, Vice Chair, 2024 - Present

Publications