NRC welcomes new members to Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) appointed four new members to the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) on Wednesday to serve four-year terms acting as advisors to the NRC regarding safety, licensing and operational regulation.

The NRC named Dr. Margaret Sze-Tai Chu, Dr. Walter Kirchner, Matthew Sunseri and Dr. Jose March-Leuba as its four new members. The ACRS works together to advise the NRC on technical matters that could impact safety, licensing and operational regulations at nuclear facilities within the United States. Such topics include radiation protection and health physics.

Chu is a consultant on nuclear waste management, nuclear materials management, non-proliferation technologies and fuel-cycle analysis for domestic and international clients. She has more than 30 years of experience in the industry and is the second woman to serve on the ACRS.

Kirchner previously served the Argonne National Laboratory as a liaison manager, where he acted as an advisor on science and technology development for the Department of Energy, Congress and other federal agencies. Prior to that, he worked as a reactor engineering officer and served at the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Sunseri is a nuclear industry consultant in nuclear safety operations. He has more than 35 years of experience in the industry and served as the former CEO and president of the Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corp.

March-Leuba is the principal of MRU, an associate professor of nuclear engineering at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville, and an expert in nuclear regulatory analysis. He also served as a nuclear engineer for 37 years.

All new ACRS members will begin their terms immediately.