Dr. Hirst’s research investigates nuclear materials for both fission and fusion power systems. Specifically, he explores the interplay between radiation damage, stored energy, temperature, and stress to determine how materials will behave in irradiation environments. At the Wisconsin Ion Beam Laboratory, he will lead the development of several in situ ion irradiation experiments, including both mechanical testing and differential scanning calorimetry, to explore a wide variety of loading (tensile/creep/fatigue) and annealing (cryogenic to high temperature) scenarios. These experiments will be analyzed through a combination of existing and novel (energetic) characterization methods, and atomistic simulations, to determine the mechanisms behind defect evolution and recovery in nuclear materials. This knowledge will impact the operation and maintenance of current nuclear plants, and will provide the foundation for the development of more resilient materials for the next generation of fission and fusion reactors.
Dr. Hirst is currently a postdoctoral research fellow in the Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences department at University of Michigan. His work involves irradiation creep testing, machine learning analysis of in situ transmission electron microscopy experiments, and the development of gas implantation gradients to emulate fusion neutron environments. Dr. Hirst completed a PhD in the Nuclear Science and Engineering department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His thesis research investigated quantifying radiation damage through the stored energy released during defect annealing in metals. Additionally, during his PhD, he was a Communication Lab Fellow and coached over 40 students and postdocs to effectively communicate their work through presentations, posters, and journal articles.