Jasmina Vujic

Professor
Program Director, Nuclear Science and Security Consortium (NSSC)

Ph.D. Nuclear Science, University of Michigan, 1990
M.Sc. Nuclear Science, University of Michigan, 1987
M.Sc. Engineering Physics, University of Belgrade, 1984
B.Sc. - Electrical and Nuclear Engineering, University of Belgrade, 1977

Contact

Biography

Professor Jasmina Vujic is a Full Professor at the Department of Nuclear Engineering, and former Chair of the Department. She received an M.S. degree in 1987 and Ph.D. degree in 1989 in Nuclear Science from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. After graduation, she worked at Argonne National Laboratory in the Reactor Analysis Division for 3 years before joining the faculty at UC Berkeley in 1992. From 2005 to 2009, she was Chair of the Department of Nuclear Engineering, and in 2009/2010 she chaired the U.S. Nuclear Engineering Department Heads Organization (NEDHO). For many years she directed an interdepartmental cutting-edge computing facility that provided computing services for advanced research and teaching to the College of Engineering departments at University of California, Berkeley. From 2009 to 2014, she was the Director of Berkeley Nuclear Research Center (BNRC).

Professor Vujic is the founding director and PI of the Nuclear Science and Security Consortium (NSSC) (https://nssc.berkeley.edu/), funded by the Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, since 2011. The NSSC enables a rich collaborative research environment between teams from 8 universities and 5 national laboratories, and fosters the development of science and technology underlying the nuclear security mission. She directs and coordinates work of close to 50 faculty members, while more than 150 national laboratory scientist and researchers have been engaged as research mentors and advisors to NSSC-supported students and postdoctoral scholars. Since 2011, NSSC has educated close to 400 students (mostly Ph.D. students) and postdoctoral scholars through a multidisciplinary program that provides hands-on training in nuclear science, technology, and policy.

She is the author of close to 300 technical publications, including over 80 papers published in leading archival journals, and several awarded papers. Professor Vujic is also the author of three books, editor of 6 monographs and international conference proceedings, and the holder of one U.S. patent. She has given over 150 invited presentations in close to 20 countries. Under her mentorship, 28 students received Ph.D. degrees and 29 received M.S. degrees.

As an internationally recognized expert in nuclear science and technology, Prof. Vujic has been a member of various domestic and international advisory boards and nuclear reactor safety boards. Vujic is a long-standing member of the American Nuclear Society, IEEE, and American Health Physics Society. She has held various executive positions in several divisions of the ANS, including Chairship of the ANS Mathematics and Computing (M&C) Division. From 2008 to 2011, she was a member of the ANS Board of Directors. She has organized a long list of conferences, workshops, panels and summer schools. She was the Chair of the 2007 ANS M&C Topical Conference and the 2012 IEEE SORMA West International Conference. She has organized six Asia-Pacific Rim forums on various topics related to nuclear technology, including forums on small modular reactors, nonproliferation, and safeguards.

Professor Vujic is the recipient of numerous awards including the Prytanean Faculty Award from UC Berkeley, which recognizes outstanding mentorship and research excellence, and the Exceptional Performance Award from Argonne National Laboratory. She was also elected as an international member of the Academy of Engineering Sciences of Serbia, and Academy of Sciences and Arts of the Republic of Srpska. In 2018, she was elected Fellow of the American Nuclear Society.

Areas of Interest:
Professor Vujic’s research expertise spans nuclear reactor analysis and design, development of numerical methods in reactor core analysis, high-performance computing, biomedical application of radiation, and nuclear security and nonproliferation.

Research Interests

Since 2009, Prof. Vujic has attracted close to $60 million in research funding as a PI, and an additional $6 million as co-PI. In 2009, she established the Berkeley Nuclear Research Center funded by the UC Lab Fees Program Research Grant. The Nuclear Science and Security Consortium (NSSC), of which Professor Vujic serves as PI and Director, was originally funded by the DOE NNSA in 2011 as a $25 million, five-year award, to support research and development in basic and applied nuclear science in collaboration with the national laboratories while developing a pipeline of new talent. In 2016, the NSSC successfully recompeted for an additional five years of support at the same level, with Vujic at the helm. The NSSC was established as a UC Berkeley-led consortium with more than 150 professors, researchers and students at eight major universities, offering hands-on experience at five Department of Energy national laboratories.

Selected Research Topic:

Development of Multiprocessor Multiassembly Neutron Transport Theory Codes
Neutronics Analysis of Fissile Material Behavior in Geologic Repositories
Tailoring Neutron Beams Characteristics for Specialized Applications
Computer Modeling for Radiation Diagnostic and Cancer Therapy
Neutron Beam Shaping Assemblies for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy
Reactor Designs and Nuclear Data Studies in the Thorium Fuel Cycle

Selected Publications

Journal Articles

R. Bergmann, K. Rowland, N. Radnovic, R. Slaybaugh and J. Vujic, “Performance and Accuracy of Criticality Calculations Performed Using WARP, A Framework for Continuous Energy Monte Carlo Neutron Transport in General 3D Geometries on GPUs,” Annals of Nuclear Energy, Volume 103, 2017, p. 334-349 (2017)
A.M. Hurst, R.B. Firestone, R.W. Sleaford, D.L. Bleuel, M.S. Basunia, F. Becvar, T.Belgya, L.A. Bernstein, J.J. Carroll, J.E. Escher, C. Genreith, B.F. Goldblum, M. Krticka, A.G. Lerch, D.A. Matters, J.W. McClory, S.R. McHale, Zs. Revay, L. Szentmiklosi, D. Turkoglu, A. Ureche, and J. Vujic, “Developments in Capture-Gamma libraries for Nonproliferation Applications,” European Physical Journal Web of Conferences, 146, Sep 13, 2017 (2017)
P.M. Gorman, J.L. Vujic, and E. Greenspan, “Trade-off Studies for the Fuel-Self-Sustaining EBWR-Th Core,” Nuclear Technology, Vol. 191, No. 3, pp. 282-294, September 2015. (2015)
R. Bergmann and J. Vujic, “Algorithmic Choices in WARP – A Framework for Continuous Energy Monte Carlo Transport in General 3D Geometries on GPU,” Annals of Nuclear Energy , 77, pp. 176-193 (2015)
J.E. Seifried, G. Zhang, C.R. Varela, P.M. Gorman, E. Greenspan, and J.L Vujic, “Self-sustaining thorium-fueled reduced moderation BWR feasibility study,” Elsevier Energy Procedia, Vol. 71, pp. 69-77 (2015)
C. DiSanzo, E. Greenspan, J. Vujic and J. Walter, “Feasibility of Fueling PWRs with Fuel Discarded from Breed and Burn Reactors,” Elsevier Energy Procedia, Vol. 71, pp. 78-89, 2015
G. Zhang, E. Greenspan, A. Jolodoski, and J. Vujic, “ SFR with Once-Through Depleted Uranium Breed & Burn Blanket,” Progress in Nuclear Energy, Vol. 82, pp. 2-6, July 2015
. Hosemann and J. Vujic, “Materials Issues in Current and Advanced Nuclear Reactor Designs,” Contemporary Materials, Vol. V-1, pp. 10-25, 2014. (Invited paper)
J.A. Brown, B.L. Goldblum, L.A. Bernstein, D.L. Bleuel, N.M Brickner, J.A. Caggiano, A.J. Couture, B.H. Daub, R. Hatarik, T.J. Phillips, K. van Bibber, J. Vujic, and N.P. Zaitseva, “Stilbene-doped Bibnzyl Single-Crystal Organic Scintillator for Neutron Detection,” Journal of Applied Physics, November, 2013, J. Appl. Phys. 115, 193504 (2014).
F. Ganda, F. Arias, J. Vujic, and E. Greenspan, “Self-Sustaining Thorium Boiling Water Reactors,” Sustainable Nuclear Energy, Special Issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050), Vol. 4, pp. 2472-2497, 2012. (Invited paper) (2012)
J. Vujic, D. Antic, and Z. Vukmirovic, “Environmental Impact and Cost Analysis of Coal versus Nuclear Power: The U.S. Case,” (Received 4 Sept 2011, Revised 10 January 2012, Accepted 31 January 2012) Energy: The International Journal (Elsevier, ISSN 0360-5442), Vol. 45, Issue 1, pp. 31-42, 2012 (Invited paper)
J. Vujic, R. Bergmann, M. Miletic, and R. Skoda, “Small Modular Rectors: Simpler, Safer, Cheaper?” (Received 7 Sep 2011, Revised 3 Feb 2012, Accepted 4 Feb 2012), Energy: The International Journal (Elsevier, ISSN 0360-5442), Vol. 45, Issue 1, pp. 288-295 (2012) (Invited paper)

Refereed Conference Papers

S. Bogetic, J. Bevins, J. Vujic, “Integral Experiments at the National Ignition Facility for Nuclear Data Validation on Modeled Neutron Flux Spectra,” The 5th Joint Meeting of the Nuclear Physics Divisions of the APS and the JPS, Hawaii Island, October 13-27, 2018
A. Ureche , D.L. Beluel, N. D. Scielzo, L. A. Bernstein, B. L. Goldblum, M. Guttormsen, T.A. Laplace, A. C. Larsen, S. N. Liddick, M. K. Smith, A. Spyrou, and J. Vujic, “Experimentally constrained 92Sr(n,g) reaction rates,” The 5th Joint Meeting of the Nuclear Physics Divisions of the APS and the JPS, Hawaii Island, October 13-27, 2018
D.L. Beluel, A. Ureche, L. A. Bernstein, B. L. Goldblum, M. Guttormsen, T.A. Laplace, A. C. Larsen, S. N. Liddick, N. D. Scielzo, A. Spyrou, and J. Vujic, “Angular momentum selectivity of the beta-Oslo method to measure gamma-ray strength and nuclear level density,” The 5th Joint Meeting of the Nuclear Physics Divisions of the APS and the JPS, Hawaii Island, October 13-27, 2018.
J. Vujic, “Prospects of Nuclear Power Technology Exports in the Pacific Basin Countries in the Aftermath of the 2011 Fukushima Accident,” The 2018 Pacific Basin Nuclear Conference – PBNC-2018, San Francisco, Sep 30 – Oct 5, 2018
S. Bogetic, J. Bevins, and J. Vujic, “Metaheuristic Optimization for the Boron Neutron Capture Therapy Neutron Spectral Shaping,” The 2018 Pacific Basin Nuclear Conference – PBNC-2018, San Francisco, Sep 30 – Oct 5, 2018.
J.E. Bevins, S. Bogetic, L.A. Bernstein, R. Slaybaugh, and J. Vujic, “Metaheuristic Optimization Method for Neutron Spectral Shaping, “ The 2018 ANS Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, June 17-21, 2018.
P. Gorman, S. Bogetic, M. Auferio, M. Fratoni, E. Greenspan, and J. Vujic, “Uncertainty Analysis of the TRU-burning Thorium-fueled RBWR Using Generalized Perturbation Theory,” The 25th International Conference on Nuclear Engineering – ICONE25, Shanghai, China, July 2-6, 2017 (The ICONE25 Qian Sanqiang Best Paper in Student Competition)
S. Bogetic, P. Gorman, E. Greenspan, and J. Vujic, ”3-D Core Design of the TRU-Incinerating Thorium RBWR Using Accident Tolerant Cladding,” International Conference on Fast Reactors and Related Fuel Cycles: Next Generation Nuclear Systems for Sustainable Development, Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation, June 26-29, 2017
K.L. Rowland, R.M. Bergmann, R.N. Slaybaugh, and J.L. Vujic, “Delta-tracking in the GPU-accelerated WARP Monte Carlo Neutron Transport Code,” International Conference in Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering (M&C-2017), Jeju, Korea, April 16-20, 2017
A.M. Hurst, R.B. Firestone, R.W. Sleaford, D.L. Bleuel, M.S. Basunia, F. Becvar, T.Belgya, L.A. Bernstein, J.J. Carroll, J.E. Escher, C. Genreith, B.F. Goldblum, M. Krticka, A.G. Lerch, D.A. Matters, J.W. McClory, S.R. McHale, Zs. Revay, L. Szentmiklosi, D. Turkoglu, A. Ureche, and J. Vujic, “Developments in Capture-Gamma libraries for Nonproliferation Applications,” International Conference on Nuclear Data in Science and Technology (ND-2016), Burges, Belgium, Sep 11-19, 2016
G. Zhang, M. Fratoni, J. Vujic, and E. Greenspan, “Compact Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor with Thorium Feed and Burn Blanket,” The 2015 ANS Winter Meeting, Washington, DC, November 8-12, 2015, Transaction of the American Nuclear Society, Vol. 113, 2015
G. Zhang, P. Gorman, J. Seifried, S. Bogetic, M.Fratoni, J. Vujic, and E. Greenspan, “Comparison of Reduced-moderation Boiling Water Reactor and Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor Technologies,” GLOBAL-2015, Paris, France, September 20-24, 2015.
G. Zhang, M. Fratoni, J. Vujic, and E. Greenspan, “Fuel Cycle Analysis of Advanced Burner Reactors with Breed-and-Burn Thorium Blanket,” GLOBAL-2015, Paris, France, September 20-24, 2015.
P. Gorman, S. Bogetic, G. Zhang, M. Fratoni, J. Vujic, and E. Greenspan, “The fuel-sufficient RBWR-Th core designs,” GLOBAL-2015, Paris, France, September 20-24, 2015.
J. Vujic, “Nuclear Power in the World: Dusk or Dawn?” Proc. of the 2nd International Conference on Electrical, Electronic and Computing Engineering IcETRAN 2015, Silver Lake, Serbia, June 8-11, 2015.
R. M. Bergmann and J. L. Vujic, “The Effects of Reference Remapping in WARP, a GPU-Accelerated, Continuous Energy Monte Carlo Neutron Transport Framework,” The 2014 ANS Winter Meeting and Nuclear Technology Expo, “Nuclear – The Foundation of Clean Energy,” Anaheim, CA, November 9-13, 2014. Transactions of the American Nuclear Society, Vol. 111, 2014
R. M. Bergmann and J. L. Vujic, “Monte Carlo Neutron Transport on GPUs,” Proceedings of the 2014 22nd International Conference on Nuclear Engineering- ICONE22, Prague, Czech Republic, July 7-11, 2014.