Rahnuma Aziz Nisa

Position title: Graduate Student | Reactor Design & Analysis

Pronouns: she/her/hers

I am a third year PhD Candidate. My research expertise include-

1. Novel control rod materials for PWRs. My work primarily involves modeling various geometries and conducting simulations using prospective neutron-absorbing materials within the SCALE deterministic code and Core-analyzing code

2. Pebble bed micro reactor analysis using Serpent and Project chrono

Education

Master of Science, MS (2025) – I earned my Master’s degree in Nuclear Engineering in Fall 25 at UW-Madison. My minor is in Mechanical Engineering

Bachelor of Science, BS (2023) – I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, in 2023. My undergraduate thesis focused on the Full Core Neutronic Analysis and Implementation of the Radkowsky Thorium Fuel (RTF) Core in the Korean SMART Reactor using OpenMC

Publications

1. Nisa, Rahnuma Aziz, Garofalo, D. J., Jung, S. K., Kreuger, D., Moon, J. H., Foley, S. J., & Lindley, B. (2025). Investigating the neutronic potential of control rod materials for improved accident tolerance using SCALE 6.3.1. Transactions of the American Nuclear Society, 132(1), 954–957. https://doi.org/10.13182/T140-48086