Rob Hayes

Associate Professor of Nuclear Engineering, Joint Faculty Appointment with SRNL, Advisory board member of ONE Nuclear

Dr. Hayes’ thrust areas span nuclear nonproliferation including nuclear assay and retrospective dosimetry. He also finds health physics, nuclear crtiticality safety, burnup, shielding, nuclear waste disposal and novel detection methods of interest, particularly when they relate back to nonproliferation. Dr. Hayes is a Certified Health Physicist and a licensed Professional Engineer (nuclear) with industry and field experience in radiological emergency response, nuclear waste management, nuclear safety, radiation dosimetry, nuclear criticality safety, air monitoring, ALARA and shielding design.

Education

Ph.D. 1999

Nuclear Engineering

University of Utah

M.S. 1997

Physics

University of Utah

B.S. 1994

Physics

University of Utah

B.S. 1994

Mathematics

University of Utah

Research Description

Dr. Hayes' research interests include nuclear nonproliferation, radiological emergency response and nuclear waste disposal technologies which are advanced using novel hybrid approaches including radiation detection, air monitoring, luminescence and magnetic resonance coupled with Monte Carlo radiation transport modeling. His research includes luminescence and magnetic resonance techniques on free radicals created from exposure to ionizing radiation in conjunction with air monitoring technologies related to consequence assessment and emergency response. Tying all these together are novel detection methodologies which include HPGe applications for field assay coupled with low resolution detector platforms. Modeling these effects with Monte Carlo radiation transport codes to interpolate and extrapolate from measured values then allows useful predictions tied back to measurement. His background includes many years of industrial experience at a nuclear waste repository and on the federal radiological emergency response teams.

Publications

Innovative use of novel shielding materials for space electronics
Hartwell, P., McDonell, S. M., & Hayes, R. B. (2025, December), RADIATION PHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY, Vol. 237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radphyschem.2025.113023
Optimal Additive Dose Distributions for Minimizing Dose Estimate Error in Retrospective and Emergency Dosimetry with Heteroscedastic Effects
Polk, M. G., & Hayes, R. B. (2025, April 20), NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING. https://doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2025.2480858
Radiation Hardness Assurance by Redundancy in Raspberry Pi Zero W Computation Metrics via Total Ionizing Dose 60Co Testing for Spacecraft Applications
Hanson, S. C., & Hayes, R. B. (2025), HEALTH PHYSICS, 128(6), 457–466. https://doi.org/10.1097/HP.0000000000001940
A preliminary NASA compliant conformal coating for optimized space radiation shielding configurations and its mass attenuation coefficients
Hanson, S. C., Xiao, Y., Charrette, R., & Hayes, R. B. (2024), PROGRESS IN NUCLEAR ENERGY, 169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnucene.2024.105089
Demonstrating a Quantitative and Systematic Approach to Reducing Excess Conservativism in Nuclear Criticality Safety Analyses
Holyk, S. A., & Hayes, R. B. (2024), Nuclear Science and Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2024.2323866
Optimization of pure elemental and oxide-based shielding materials for cost
Peete, B., Trainor, S., & Hayes, R. (2024), PROGRESS IN NUCLEAR ENERGY, 177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnucene.2024.105444
A thermal natural uranium breeder reactor for large and small applications with passive safeguard designs
Hayes, R. B., & Sawyers, M. J. (2023), PROGRESS IN NUCLEAR ENERGY, 163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnucene.2023.104804
An Assessment of Heterogeneous Effects on System Reactivity for Criticality Safety Analyses with LEU+ and HALEU Materials
Sewell, P. H., & Hayes, R. B. (2023), Nuclear Technology, 209(6), 835–856. https://doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2022.2157662
Dose Estimation for Extravasation of 177Lu, 99mTc, and 18F
Tsorxe, I. Y., & Hayes, R. B. (2023), Health Physics, 124(3), 217–220. https://doi.org/10.1097/HP.0000000000001653
EVALUATION OF EXISTING PUBLIC DOSE LIMITS APPLIED TO RECREATIONAL SPACEFLIGHT
Long, M. A., & Hayes, R. B. (2023), Radiation Protection Dosimetry, 199(5), 482–489. https://doi.org/10.1093/rpd/ncad037

View all publications via NC State Libraries

Grants

Polymer-Based Conformal Space Radiation Shield with Thermal Management Manufactured by Five-Axis 3D Printing Platform
US Dept. of Energy (DOE)(8/16/22 - 8/27/25)
OSL and EPR Measurements by North Carolina State University
National Nuclear Security Administration(8/30/21 - 7/31/24)
Measurements of Short-lived Fission Products Yields from Photon-Induces Fission of Special Nuclear Materials
National Nuclear Security Administration(10/01/18 - 5/31/22)
Consortium for Nonproliferation Enabling Capabilities
US Dept. of Energy (DOE)(7/31/14 - 9/30/20)
Faculty Development Program in Nuclear Engineering at North Carolina State University, 2014
US Nuclear Regulatory Commission(8/01/14 - 7/31/19)