Dr. Yachun Wang is a Nuclear Engineer and research principal investigator at Idaho National Laboratory. Her research focuses on post-irradiation examination of metallic nuclear fuels and reactor structural materials, with particular emphasis on fuel–cladding chemical interaction (FCCI), eutectic behavior, irradiation-induced microstructural evolution, and localized mechanical response. She leads multidisciplinary research integrating advanced electron microscopy, in situ micromechanical testing, digital image correlation, and data-driven analysis to develop mechanistic understanding and experimental evidence supporting metallic-fuel performance assessment, qualification, and predictive modeling. She also leads and contributes to national and international collaborations on advanced fuels and fast-reactor cladding materials.

• Metallic nuclear fuels, particularly U–Zr and U–Pu–Zr systems
• Fuel–cladding chemical interaction (FCCI) and eutectic interactions
• Post-irradiation examination of nuclear fuels and structural materials
• Irradiated HT9 and advanced ferritic/martensitic steels
• Irradiation-induced microstructural evolution and microstructure–property relationships
• Advanced SEM, FIB/PFIB, TEM/STEM, and spectroscopy
• In situ micromechanical testing and SEM digital image correlation
• Machine-learning/data-driven analysis of microscopy data
• Nuclear fuel performance and qualification