Personal profile
Biography
Piyush Sabharwall, Ph.D., is a Distinguished Staff Nuclear Research Scientist at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). He has more than 18 years of research and development experience in nuclear and thermal engineering. He is highly regarded throughout the nuclear industry for his expertise in heat transfer, fluid mechanics, thermal design, thermodynamics, energy systems, and nuclear safety analyses. He manages the Irradiation Experiment Thermal Hydraulics Analysis Department under Nuclear Science and Technology Directorate at INL and was recognized as an Asian American Engineer of the Year for 2022. He also serves as the Technical Area Lead on DOE Office of Nuclear Energy’s Microreactor R&D Program. He has helped cement INL’s leadership in areas including verification and validation, development of experimental programs and test beds, small modular reactors, molten salt reactor technology, and integrated energy systems. He has authored two books, contributed chapters to technical books, and published over 320 peer-reviewed publications. His leadership has allowed him to serve in several key positions and guide U.S. DOE programs, as well as industrial organizations, helping capital and technical projects navigate complex regulatory landscapes. He has been responsible for building and strengthening strategic partnerships with universities and collaborating with area technical leads from other national laboratories to advance science and technology strategies for INL and the U.S. Department of Energy. He holds an Adjunct Associate Professor appointment in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University and an Adjunct Professor at University of Michigan in the Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences. He holds a PhD in nuclear engineering; master’s degrees in renewable energy and sustainability systems, engineering management, and nuclear engineering; and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.
Education/Academic qualification
Strategic Laboratory Leadership Program Training, The University of Chicago
Award Date: Jan 1 2023
Resilient Leadership for High-Performing Organizations, The University of Chicago
Award Date: Jan 1 2022
Master, Renewable Energy and Sustainability Systems, Pennsylvania State University
Award Date: Apr 1 2019
Master, Engineering Management, University of Idaho
Award Date: May 1 2013
PhD, Nuclear Engineering, University of Idaho
Award Date: May 15 2009
Master, Nuclear Engineering, Oregon State University
Award Date: Jan 1 2004
Bachelor, Mechanical Engineering, Wilkes University
Award Date: May 1 2002
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Research output
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Accelerating nuclear-integrated data center pursuits in the USA: SWOT analysis, power-thermal management strategies and demonstration plan
Bhowmik, P. K., Anderson, M. W., Yoshiura, R., Sabharwall, P., Whiting, E. T., Sgambati, M., Cafferty, K. G. & Smith, B. M., Jan 2026, In: Nuclear Engineering and Design. 446, 24 p., 114579.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Differentiable hybrid neural network approach for enhancing reactor dynamics simulations
Hsieh, H. Y., Abuqudaira, T., Tsvetkov, P. & Sabharwall, P., Jan 2026, In: Annals of Nuclear Energy. 225, 111785.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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ForewordSpecial Issue on Irradiation Experiments Supporting Advanced Nuclear Technologies: Guest Editors
Sabharwall, P. & Nielsen, J., 2026, In: Nuclear Science and Engineering. 200, 1, p. iiiResearch output: Contribution to journal › Meeting Abstract › peer-review
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Full core thermal analysis of pebble bed reactor using GPU based Ray Tracing
Ahn, S., Seo, J. Y., Jo, Y. B., Retamales, M. T. E., Sabharwall, P. & Kim, E. S., Jun 15 2026, In: International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer. 261, 128569.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Margin to onset of nucleate boiling and flow instability studies for preliminary MITR design-demonstration element thermal-hydraulics
Bhowmik, P. K., Tano, M. E., Yoon, S., Xing, C., Prieto, S. A. B., Swearingen, A. L., Phillips, A., Sabharwall, P. & Giglio, J. J., Mar 2026, In: Nuclear Engineering and Design. 448, 114766.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Prizes
Activities
- 3 Membership of network
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American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) (External organization)
Sabharwall, P. (Member)
2023 → …Activity: Membership › Membership of network
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American Nuclear Society (ANS) (External organization)
Sabharwall, P. (Member)
2023 → …Activity: Membership › Membership of network
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Eastern Idaho Engineering Council (External organization)
Sabharwall, P. (Member)
2007 → …Activity: Membership › Membership of network
Press/Media
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Feds betting billions on 'new' nuclear technologies
Sabharwall, P. & Bragg-Sitton, S.
02/19/23
8 items of Media coverage
Press/Media
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AR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING PUBLISHES SPECIAL ISSUE ON THE VTR PROJECT
10/20/22
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media
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INL's Sabharwall named Asian American Engineer of the Year
08/31/22
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media
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INL’s Sabharwall named Asian American Engineer of the Year
08/31/22
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media