Savannah River National Laboratory, Clemson University Expand Collaboration with Russcher Joint Appointment

Aiken, S.C. (Feb. 8, 2024) – Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) and Clemson University jointly appointed Sez Atamturktur Russcher, Ph.D., to collaborate in research around modeling and simulation of engineering systems.

Russcher, an expert in computer modeling of engineering systems, uncertainty quantification and risk analysis, is a professor of mechanical engineering at Clemson University. She is also the associate vice president for the Charleston Innovation Centers located at the Clemson University Restoration Institute (CURI) campus in Charleston, South Carolina. The CURI campus is home for the Dominion Energy Innovation Center and the Duke Energy e-GRID. The e-GRID is an electrical grid emulator that can replicate any electrical grid anywhere in the world.

“We are excited to have Dr. Russcher join the SRNL team focused on resilience with interconnected grids,” said SRNL Deputy Laboratory Director, Science and Technology, Sue Clark. “Her expertise and access to Clemson’s eGRID facility will aid in the infrastructure and research projects surrounding SRNL’s critical infrastructure and industrial controls laboratories and other facilities.”

“I am thrilled to be jointly appointed with SRNL and for the opportunity to tightly collaborate with SRNL researchers,” said Russcher. “There are tremendous possibilities for collaboration between SRNL and Clemson University on projects that leverage advanced uncertainty quantification techniques as applied to modeling and simulation. This new role will help me contribute to world-class research happening at SRNL and in turn provide me critical and timely input on our educational efforts here at Clemson as we work to prepare the talent pipeline for national laboratories.”

SRNL’s Joint Appointment Program provides university faculty opportunities to engage in research and development addressing the nation’s challenges in environmental stewardship, national security, and energy transformation.  Together, SRNL staff and joint appointees help ensure America’s security and prosperity through transformative science and technology solutions.  Joint appointees serve as a bridge between their university and SRNL researchers to deliver the future workforce for the Department of Energy.

“Sez is a proven leader and an ideal fit for the SRNL Joint Appointment program to collaborate on research addressing challenges in environmental stewardship, national security and energy transformation while preparing workforce development for national laboratories,” said Clemson University’s Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Robert H. Jones. 

The Russcher joint appointment is the second joint appointment between SRNL and Clemson University, further expanding the breadth of collaboration between the two organizations.

About Clemson University

One of the most productive public research universities in the nation, Clemson University attracts and powerfully unites students and faculty whose greatest desire is to make a difference in the lives of others. Ranked among the best national public universities by U.S. News & World Report and classified as an R1 — Very High Research University by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, Clemson is dedicated to teaching, research and service. Clemson has a presence in every South Carolina County through research facilities, economic development hubs and Innovation Campuses. Through the research, outreach and entrepreneurial projects led by its faculty and students, Clemson University is driving economic development and improving quality of life in South Carolina and beyond. (www.clemson.edu)

About Savannah River National Laboratory

Savannah River National Laboratory is a United States Department of Energy multi-program research and development center that’s managed and operated by Battelle Savannah River Alliance, LLC (BSRA) for the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management.   SRNL puts science to work to protect the nation by providing practical, cost-effective solutions to the nation’s environmental, nuclear security, nuclear materials management, and energy manufacturing challenges.