Emily Nelum Weerakkody

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  • Title
    Research Scientist, Materials Science Division
  • Email
    weerakkody1@llnl.gov
  • Phone
    (925) 423-5815
  • Organization
    PLS-MSD-MATERIALS SCIENCE DIVISION

Research interests

I work on shock initiation experiments to characterize high explosive performance using gas guns at the High Explosive Applications Facility (HEAF) as well as various experiments pertaining to pre-and post-detonation nuclear forensics, including generating synthetic fallout using a plasma flow reactor, and testing new ways to tag nuclear fuel pellets for counter-proliferation.

I received my Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2021 from the Mechanical Science and Engineering Department where I performed excitation experiments on uranium and fission products using several methods (shock tube, spark, laser ablation, etc.) to observe the resulting spectroscopic signatures.

Current position(s)

Research Scientist, Materials Science Division

Subject Matter Expertise

Nuclear fireball chemistry, high explosive shock initiation

Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2021

M.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2018

B.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2017

B.S. Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2017

E. N. Weerakkody, B. Koroglu, Z. Dai, K. E. Rodriguez, E. Balboni. “Dependence of Uranium Oxide Polymorphism on Plasma Synthesis Conditions,” The Journal of Physical Chemistry A, Mar. 2024.

J. G. Christenson, M. Kroonblawd, S. Bastea, E. N. Weerakkody, K. S. Vandersall, L. E. Fried. “Temperature-based reactive flow model for triaminotrinitrobenzene (TATB) plastic bonded explosives”, Journal of Applied Physics, Feb. 2025.

E. N. Weerakkody, B. A. Read, M. D. Clemenson, N. G. Glumac. “Uranium Dust Cloud Combustion: Burning Characteristics and Absorption Spectroscopy Measurements,” Journal of Combustion, Nov. 2022.

E. J. Kautz, E. N. Weerakkody, M. S. Finko, D. Curreli, B. Koroglu, T. P. Rose, J. C. Crowhurst, H. B. Radousky, M. DeMagistris, N. Sinha, D. A. Levin, E. L. Dreizin, M. C. Phillips, N. G. Glumac, S. S. Harilal. “Optical spectroscopy and modeling of uranium gas-phase oxidations: Progress and perspectives,” Spectrochimica Acta Part B, vol. 185. November 2021.

E. N. Weerakkody and N. G. Glumac, “Quantitative absorption spectroscopy of laser-produced plasmas,” J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys., vol. 54, January 2021.  

E. N. Weerakkody, D. G. Weisz, J. C. Crowhurst, B. Koroglu, T. P. Rose, H. B. Radousky, R. L. Stillwell, J. R. Jeffries, and N. G. Glumac, “Time-resolved formation of uranium and silicon oxides subsequent to the laser ablation of U3Si2,” Spectrochimica Acta Part B, vol. 170. July 2020. 

Best Poster Award, 3rd Place –2023 Physical and Life Sciences Postdoc Program

LLNL Research SLAM Finalist, 2023

Memberships

MSD Social Committee

Social media

https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-weerakkody-a32a26a6

https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=1AowsgcAAAAJ