Class of 2024: Master’s Student Ayden Cohn: presenting a better future for nuclear reactors

Ayden Cohn came to Virginia Tech in 2018, after graduating from Granby High School in Norfolk, Virginia. He was the valedictorian of a class of more than 400 peers. He chose to major in Mechanical Engineering and minor in both green engineering and nuclear engineering, blending those disciplines into his interest in the field of nuclear reactors.

Two years after completing his undergraduate studies, Cohn is graduating with a pair of master’s degrees, one from the Pamplin College of Business and another from the College of Engineering, where he has been named the Outstanding Master’s Student. The award was formally presented on March 28 at a reception hosted by the Virginia Tech Graduate School following a nomination and review through the college, reflecting Cohn's excellence in research.

Cohn won a scholarship from the Department of Energy during his junior year at Virginia Tech, which is only given to a small group of students pursuing careers in the nuclear engineering field. He also completed two internships with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in 2022 and 2023, and he gained hands-on experience in Blacksburg nuclear engineering labs as well. 

“When I was a junior, I started getting involved in research,” said Cohn. “I worked with Mark Pierson on small fusion devices that produce neutron output, which first got me involved in nuclear research.” 

He also found his way to the Multi-Phase Flow and Thermal-Hydraulics Lab (MFTL) of Yang Liu during his senior year, eventually becoming a group member for a project funded by the NRC in partnership with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). The work included a study of how fuel rods in nuclear reactors are cooled by water during different boiling conditions. The data will be used to create virtual simulations so future nuclear reactors can be tested for safety before any physical structures are even built.

“The research I conducted in Dr. Liu’s lab produces data that is sent directly to the NRC,” said Cohn. “It will be used to analyze future nuclear reactor designs. I believe it will have a big impact on new reactors and help ensure that any approved reactor is safe. That’s the biggest obstacle to phasing out fossil fuels in favor of nuclear technology, assuring the public that reactors are safe.” 

Liu commented on the value added to his team by Cohn's work.

"Ayden joined our lab with a strong background in reactor thermal hydraulics, which makes him an ideal fit for the project funded by the NRC," Liu said. "Having him on the project has been a tremendous asset.”

In pursuit of his nuclear engineering master’s, Cohn finished his academic studies during his first year of graduate school thanks in large part to the accelerated undergraduate/graduate program in mechanical engineering. His second year included a deep dive into the research he had started with Liu. To make the most of his time in graduate school, he chose to additionally enroll in the Master of Science in Business Administration – Business Analytics through the Pamplin College of Business. The studies in that area gave him a new way to view data, but also taught him how to communicate his data more effectively.

“I’ve learned how to explain my engineering results in ways that are more meaningful,” said Cohn. “Some of the classes in the business program taught me effective strategies to present visuals, and draw your audience’s attention to what’s really important.”

Cohn packed his gear in March and journeyed to the RPI Thermal-Hydraulics Lab’s test facility to conduct a larger-scale version of the tests he performed in Liu’s lab.

He has been active in the Virginia Tech chapter of the American Nuclear Society, and will present his research at their annual conference in June. In July, he starts a job in North Carolina with General Electric where he will work on a team designing nuclear reactors.