Dr. Rongjie Song is a Chief Scientist of Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF) and a Distinguished Staff Scientist at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). She joined INL after 12 years of research and development in the steel industry. Her background is Physical Metallurgy and Materials Science and Engineering, supported by a broad professional experience in alloy design, industrial processing (casting, rolling, annealing, coating, etc.), microstructural characterization, mechanical properties evaluation, materials qualification, and product applications; developing a mechanistic understanding of the effects of compositions, microstructure evolution during processing and how it can impact macroscopic properties and performance, with an emphasis on the material design-manufacturing-microstructure-mechanical properties relationships in advanced reactor environments.

Dr. Rongjie Song’s research interests include alloy design for the application in the next generation of nuclear reactors, developing a mechanistic understanding of composition, manufacturing, microstructure, and property relationships in nuclear structural and cladding materials, with an emphasis on microstructural evolution and mechanical properties in harsh environments (i.e., irradiation, high temperature, mechanical stress, and corrosive environments).