February 23, 2022
Staff Accomplishment

Buck Tapped as Chief Specialty Editor for Frontiers in Nuclear Engineering

Materials Characterization Scientist Edgar Buck begins role February 2022

Edgar Buck

PNNL Materials Characterization Scientist Edgar Buck

(Photo by Andrea Starr | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)

Edgar Buck, a materials characterization scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), was recently selected to serve as chief specialty editor for the Nuclear Materials section for Frontiers in Nuclear Engineering, a new journal that launches this month.

Buck will oversee nuclear materials manuscripts, confirming they are are handled by relevant experts and that peer review is of the highest quality. He will also define the editorial scope for nuclear materials coverage and be responsible for leading and supervising related activities.

Buck’s invitation recognizes his active expertise in the materials science field, particularly his knowledge of the long-term behavior of nuclear materials, including spent nuclear fuels, borosilicate glass, radio-colloids, and post-irradiation examination of reactor components.

“I’m looking forward to serving the materials science community through my role on this editorial board. This is a unique opportunity to shine a light on all the incredible scientific advances being made in nuclear materials research and the critical role they will play in our energy future,” said Buck.

Several associate editors for the Nuclear Materials section are also PNNL staff, including Chemical Engineer Xiao-Ying Yu; Materials Scientist Ramprashad Prabhakaran; Senior Scientist Jon M. Schwantes; and Chemist Tatiana Levitskaia.

Buck currently manages several projects within PNNL’s Nuclear Processing Science Initiative to develop new advanced microscopy tools. Since 2009, he has been the program manager for a Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy project that supports research for geologic disposal. He is also the principal investigator for a Counter-Weapons of Mass Destruction project on signature development, as well as several other smaller projects. Buck is also an adjunct professor at Washington State University.

He earned his PhD in materials science from University of Birmingham and a master’s in radiochemistry and radiation chemistry from University of Salford.