PNNL

Abby Robb is a graduate student in the Nuclear and Radiological Engineering program at Georgia Institute of Technology. Originally from Spokane, WA, Robb attended Whitworth University, where she studied chemistry and Spanish, before joining Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in August of 2023.

At Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Robb has worked within the Tritium Technology Program, primarily doing experimental fume hood work for the processing of tritium-producing pellets. She is currently working in Hanford waste management, with a focus on how various sodium and potassium anions can affect the removal of Cs-137 from tank waste supernate with crystalline silicotitanate ion exchanger resin. She is also interested in branching out into radiation detection while at Georgia Tech.

• Radiation detection
• Radiological waste management
• National security
• Radio-xenon detection
• Tritium

• Laboratory skills
• Radiological worker II
• Independent radiological fume hood operation

• MS/PhD in nuclear engineering, Georgia Tech (currently enrolled; expected completion in spring 2025)
• BS in chemistry (biochemistry), Whitworth University
• BA in Spanish, Whitworth University

• Graduate student, Georgia Institute of Technology

• Mechanical engineering interdisciplinary fellowship, Georgia Institute of Technology
• Presidential Fellowship, Georgia Institute of Technology
• Roy G. Post Foundation Scholarship, 2025

2024

• Robb, A., Westesen, A., Cappella, N., Alvarez, C., & Peterson, R. (2024). Aluminum dissolution processing for high-level waste sludges. Separation Science and Technology, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1080/01496395.2024.2431087

2023

• Westesen A.M., A.M. Robb, N.L. Cappella, C. Alvarez, and R.A. Peterson. 2023. Phosphate and Fluoride Processing Options for Hanford Sludge. PNNL-34456. Richland, WA: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Phosphate and Fluoride Processing Options for Hanford Sludge