Research Interests

• Nuclear security and non-proliferation aspects of current and proposed future nuclear fuel cycle materials and processes
• Nuclear forensics signatures
• Database development and application to nuclear material security and forensics
• Use of multivariate pattern classification techniques for assessment of unknown nuclear material using elemental and isotopic concentrations

Skills

• Database design and implementation
• Use of reactor modeling codes to generate spent fuel compositions, dose rates, and decay heat
• Chemometrics/Machine Learning/Mulitvariate Statistics
• Software: MATLAB, SCALE, MCNP, C#, Python, AutoCAD, Oracle, SQL Server, Filemaker Pro

• Robel, M., Isselhardt, B., Ramon, E., Hayes, A., Gaffney, A., Borg, L., Lindvall, R., Erickson, A., Carney, C., Battisti, T., Conant, A., Ade, B., Trellue, H., & Weber, C. (2018). A composite position independent monitor of reactor fuel irradiation using Pu, Cs, and Ba isotope ratios. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 195, 9–19.
• Griffiths, G., Keegan, E., Young, E., Wotherspoon, A., Palmer, T., Lu, K., Davis, J., Alexander, J., Jolly, L., Nevers, N., Delaunay, F., Collins, J.M., Dimayuga, I., Bergeron, A., Samuleev, P., Dai, Z., Holliday, K., Robel, M., Knight, K. (2018). Physical characterization of uranium oxide pellets and powder applied in the Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group Collaborative Materials Exercise 4. Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 315 (2), pp. 365-378.
• Conant, A., Erickson, A., Robel, M., Isselhardt, B. (2017). Sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of plutonium and cesium isotopes in modeling of BR3 reactor spent fuel. Nuclear Technology, 197 (1), pp. 12-19.
• Davydov, J., Dion, H., LaMont, S., Hutcheon, I., Robel, M. (2016). Leveraging existing information for use in a National Nuclear Forensics Library (NNFL). Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 307 (3), pp. 2389-2395.
• Conant, A., Erickson, A., Robel, M. (2015). Sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of modeled Pu and Cs isotope ratios in a test pressurized water reactor. Transactions of the American Nuclear Society, 113, pp. 1219-1222.
• Kristo, M.J., Keegan, E., Colella, M., Williams, R., Lindvall, R., Eppich, G., Roberts, S., Borg, L., Gaffney, A., Plaue, J., Knight, K., Loi, E., Hotchkis, M., Moody, K., Singleton, M., Robel, M., Hutcheon, I. (2015). Nuclear forensic analysis of uranium oxide powders interdicted in Victoria, Australia. Radiochimica Acta, 103 (7), pp. 487-500.
• Keegan, E., Kristo, M.J., Colella, M., Robel, M., Williams, R., Lindvall, R., Eppich, G., Roberts, S., Borg, L., Gaffney, A., Plaue, J., Wong, H., Davis, J., Loi, E., Reinhard, M., Hutcheon, I. (2014). Nuclear forensic analysis of an unknown uranium ore concentrate sample seized in a criminal investigation in Australia. (2014) Forensic Science International, 240, pp. 111-121.
• Hase, K.R., Bathke, C.G., Ebbinghaus, B.B., Sleaford, B.W., Robel, M., Collins, B.A., Prichard, A.W. (2013). The efficacy of denaturing actinide elements as a means of decreasing materials attractiveness. International Nuclear Fuel Cycle Conference, GLOBAL 2013: Nuclear Energy at a Crossroads, 1, pp. 245-254.
• Bathke, C.G., Ebbinghaus, B.B., Collins, B.A., Sleaford, B.W., Hase, K.R., Robel, M., Wallace, R.K., Bradley, K.S., Ireland, J.R., Jarvinen, G.D., Johnson, M.W., Prichard, A.W., Smith, B.W. (2012). The attractiveness of materials in advanced nuclear fuel cycles for various proliferation and theft scenarios. Nuclear Technology, 179 (1), pp. 5-30.
• King, W.E., Robel, M., Gilmer, G.H. (2011).The potential to use fission gas release experiments to measure lattice and grain boundary diffusion in metallic fuels. Journal of Nuclear Materials, 411 (1-3), pp. 97-111.
• King, W.E., Bradley, K., Jones, E.D., Kramer, K.J., Latkowski, J.F., Robel, M., Sleaford, B.W. (2010). The application of a figure of merit for nuclear explosive utility as a metric for material attractiveness in a nuclear material theft scenario. Nuclear Engineering and Design, 240 (11), pp. 3699-3707.
• Robel, M., Kristo, M.J. (2008). Discrimination of source reactor type by multivariate statistical analysis of uranium and plutonium isotopic concentrations in unknown irradiated nuclear fuel material. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 99 (11), pp. 1789-1797.

Military: Good Conduct Medal, SW Asia Service Medal, Sea Service Ribbon, National Defense Medal.
Academic: 2nd place, American Nuclear Society Student Design Competition.