Dr. Cao is currently a Research Scientist at Department of Pyrochemistry and Molten Salt Systems of Idaho National Laboratory (INL), working on pyroprocessing of spent nuclear fuels, molten salt reactors development, electrochemistry and electrometallurgy of molten salt systems. Before joining INL in 2016, he was a Research Scientist in the Department of Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, working on materials in different extreme nuclear environments including molten salt, supercritical carbon dioxide, impure helium, and supercritical water. His research expertise spans a broad spectrum of areas including electrometallurgy, materials science, metal casting and welding, microstructure and mechanical property relationship, failure analysis, advanced characterization, high temperature oxidation and corrosion and/or mechanical property degradation of materials. He has extensive experience and expertise in molten salt chemistry and corrosion in molten fluoride and chloride salts for nuclear applications.

• ​Molten Salt Chemistry 
• Electrochemistry
• Molten Salt Reactors
• Materials Corrosion
• Advanced Materials Manufacturing
• Advanced Characterization​