Djamel Kaoumi

Professor of Nuclear Engineering

Prof Djamel Kaoumi received his PhD in Nuclear Engineering from Pennsylvania State University in 2007 and his Masters of Science from University of Florida in 2001 with a minor in Materials Science and Engineering. Prior to this, he received his Diplome d’Ingenieur from the Institut Polytechnique National de Grenoble in France in 2000 and his BSc in Physics from the same French institute in 1999.

Prof. Kaoumi’s research interests revolve around developing a mechanistic understanding of microstructure property relationships in nuclear materials, with an emphasis on microstructure evolution under harsh environment (i.e. irradiation, high temperature, and mechanical stress) and how it can impact the macroscopic properties and performance. Understanding the basic mechanisms of degradation of materials at the nanostructure level is necessary for the development of predictive models of the materials performance and for the design and development of better materials.

Throughout his academic journey, Prof Kaoumi has taught classes on “Introduction to Nuclear Materials”, “Radiation Damage”, and “Radiation detection and measurement” to a diverse mix of students with different backgrounds and different majors (Nuclear Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering) and he has been mentoring students from different backgrounds.

Education

PhD 2007

Nuclear Engineering

Pensylvania State University

MS 2001

Nuclear Engineering and minor in Materials Science

University of Florida

BS 1999

Physics

Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble (France)

Research Description

1) Alloy Development for Nuclear Applications, particularly structural and cladding applications, through powder metallurgy: ODS Ni-based alloys for Molten Salt Reactor, ODS steels for Fusion applications Refractory Alloys for Gen IV reactors in general. Amoong processing routes, Additive Manufacturing is primarily used. 2) Effects of Irradiation on microstructure, on mechanical properties through the use of ion irradiation, and more particularly in-situ ion irradiation in the TEM. 3) Corrosion studies in Light Water Reactor simulated water chemistry through the use of pressurized water autoclaves available in Prof Kaoumi’s lab. 4) Coupled effects of irradiation and corrosion on alloys of interest for Gen IV reactor (Molten Salt environment and Liquid Metal cooled reactors). 5/ Mechanical behavior of advanced alloys through in situ testing the TEM, and under the synchrotron X-Ray beam, in complement to ex-situ bulk mechanical testing. Materials of interest include advanced alloys for structural and cladding applications in advanced nuclear systems (e.g. Austenitic steels , Advanced Ferritic/Martensitic Steels, Oxide-Dispersion-Strengthened (ODS) Steels), High-temperature Ni-based alloys, Zirconium alloys and nanocrystalline metallic systems. Characterization techniques of predilection include both in-situ and ex-situ techniques e.g. In-situ irradiation in TEM (over 15 years of experience), In-situ straining in a TEM, chemi-STEM, SEM, XRD, Synchrotron XRD. Prof Kaoumi has built extensive expertise for in-situ experiments done in a Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) which include In-situ ion-irradiation and In-situ straining and mechanical testing experiments. His expertise and contribution to understanding the microstructure evolution under irradiation/stress/temperature through in-situ characterization have earned Prof Kaoumi more than 45 invited talks/seminars related to this scope of his research.

Publications

Behavior of Fe-based alloys in a liquid lead-bismuth environment under simultaneous proton irradiation and corrosion
Demir, E., Ayyapan, S., Zhou, W., Cairang, W., Woller, K. B., Short, M. P., & Kaoumi, D. (2025), Acta Materialia. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2024.120578
Effect of cryogenic milling on the mechanical and corrosion properties of ODS Hastelloy-N
Hong, M., Bickel, J. E., Demir, E., Kaoumi, D., & Hosemann, P. (2024), MATERIALIA, 37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtla.2024.102215
Effect of irradiation on the corrosion of 304 stainless steel in pressurized water reactor (PWR) simulated water chemistry
Tsai, F.-Y., Schoell, R., Hattar, K., & Kaoumi, D. (2024), CORROSION SCIENCE, 240. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.corsci.2024.112454
Effect of thermal oxidation on helium implanted pure iron
Hong, M., deJong, M., Balooch, M., Kaoumi, D., & Hosemann, P. (2025), Journal of Nuclear Materials. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2024.155377
MICROSTRUCTURAL AND TENSILE PROPERTY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN Ni-16Mo AND ODS ALLOYS FABRICATED BY THE POWDER METALLURGY PROCESSES
Bae, J., Lee, S., Chang, K., Kaoumi, D., & Noh, S. (2024), ARCHIVES OF METALLURGY AND MATERIALS, 69(2), 421–424. https://doi.org/10.24425/amm.2024.149758
Review of Solid-State Consolidation Processing Techniques of ODS Steels (Hot Extrusion, Hot Isostatic Pressing, Spark Plasma Sintering, and Stir Friction Consolidation): Resulting Microstructures and Mechanical Properties
Dejong, M., Horn, T., & Kaoumi, D. (2024, October 10), JOM, Vol. 10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-024-06853-3
The self-annealing of irradiation induced defects in magnetite Fe3O4: Revealing reversible irradiation-induced disorder transformation through in situ TEM
Morales, A. M. L., Chen, W.-Y., & Kaoumi, D. (2024), JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS, 136(7). https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0226606
Designing Nuclear Fuels with a Multi-Principal Element Alloying Approach
Beausoleil, G., Zillinger, J., Hawkins, L., Yao, T., Weiss, A. G., Pu, X., … Kaoumi, D. (2023, September 20), NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY, Vol. 9. https://doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2023.2236796
Multi-length scale characterization of point defects in thermally oxidized, proton irradiated iron oxides
Chan, H. L., Auguste, R., Romanovskaia, E., Morales, A. L., Schmidt, F., Romanovski, V., … Scully, J. R. (2023), MATERIALIA, 28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtla.2023.101762
Multi-length scale characterization of point defects in thermally oxidized, proton irradiated iron oxides (vol 28, 101762, 2023)
Chan, H. L., Auguste, R., Romanovskaia, E., Morales, A. L., Liedke, M. O., Schmidt, F., … Scully, J. R. (2023, September), MATERIALIA, Vol. 31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtla.2023.101868

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