PNNL

Matt Athon started at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory as a National Security Internship Program participant in the summer of 2015, and he worked as a post-masters research associate from 2016 to 2018. During that time, he supported several projects related to nuclear forensics and nuclear nonproliferation. In spring 2018, he started his PhD remotely at Washington State University while working full time at the Radiochemical Processing Laboratory (RPL). His research was primarily focused on uranium metal and U-10Mo alloy casting and isotopic tracing of uranium carbides in U-10Mo alloys. In spring 2022, he graduated from Washington State University and became a full-time staff scientist at RPL. Now he works on several projects focused on uranium and plutonium processing. 

• Actinide Sciences
• Casting
• Materials Science
• Metallography
• Metallurgy

• Doctor of Philosophy, Materials Science and Engineering, Washington State University
• Master of Science, Oceanography, Texas A&M University
• Bachelor of Science, Marine Sciences, Texas A&M University

• National Security Directorate “Courage” Core Value Award 2022
• Energy and Environment Directorate Certificate of Appreciation 2019
• National Security Directorate Outstanding Performance Award 2019, 2022
• Graduation from Texas A&M University at Galveston with Magna cum Laude Honors (3.74/4.0 GPA) 2012
• Welch Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship 2012
• Texas A&M University at Galveston Dean’s List 2009–2012
• Texas A&M University at Galveston Academic Scholarship 2009–2012

2023

• McDonald IV, L. W., Sentz, K., Hagen, A., Chung, B. W., Nizinski, C. A., Schwerdt, I. J., ... & Ly, C. (2023). Review of Multi-Faceted Morphologic Signatures of Actinide Process Materials for Nuclear Forensic Science. Journal of Nuclear Materials, 154779.
• Nizinski, C. A., Olson, J., Chalifoux, A. M., Kurtyka, N., Athon, M. T., Tenner, T., & McDonald IV, L. W. (2023). Identification and Elemental Impurity Analysis of Heterogeneous Morphologies in Uranium Oxides Synthesized from Uranyl Fluoride Precursors. ACS omega, 8(19), 16896-16906.

2022

• Olszta, M.J., Corbey, J.F., Athon, M.T., Huber, Z.F., Reilly, D.D. and Abrecht, D.G., 2022. A comparison of carbon impurities in pre-and post-melt uranium Part 1: Scanning electron microscopy analysis. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 925, p.166584.
• Jang, H., Louis-Jean, J., Childs, B., Holliday, K., Reilly, D., Athon, M., Czerwinski, K., Hatchett, D. and Poineau, F., 2022. Synthetic diversity in the preparation of metallic uranium. Royal Society Open Science, 9(3), p.211870.

2021

• Athon, M. T., Reilly, D. D., Schwerdt, I. J., Corbey, J. F., Olszta, M. J., & Sweet, L. E. (2021). Quantitative Morphological Characterization of Carbide Inclusions in Uranium Metal. Journal of Nuclear Materials, 153370.
• Huber, Z., McCoy, K. M., Athon, M., Schwerdt, I., & Lavender, C. (2021). Effects of casting parameters and impurity concentrations on as-cast U–10Mo. Progress in Nuclear Energy, 140, 103921.
• Huber, Z., Athon, M., Shen, S., Conte, E., McCoy, K., & Lavender, C. (2021). Enhancing isotope mixing in U-10Mo downblend castings with electromagnetic stirring. Journal of Nuclear Materials, 153148.
• Kautz, E. J., Shahrezaei, S., Athon, M., Frank, M., Schemer-Kohrn, A., Soulami, A., ... & Devaraj, A. (2021). Evaluating the microstructure and origin of nonmetallic inclusions in as-cast U-10Mo fuel. Journal of Nuclear Materials, 152949.

2019

• Bair, J.L., Abrecht, D.G., Reilly, D.D., Athon, M.T. and Corbey, J.F., 2019. Phase field model of uranium carbide solidification through a combined KKS and orientation field approach. Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, 31(12), p.125901.
• Reilly, D., Athon, M., Kovarik, L., & Lach, T. (2019). Characterization of slag and metal from uranium bomb reduction: Morphology, speciation, and the search for thorium. Materials Characterization, 158, 109948.

2018

• Reilly, D. D., Athon, M. T., Corbey, J. F., Leavy, I. I., McCoy, K. M., & Schwantes, J. M. (2018). Trace element migration during UF4 bomb reduction: Implications to metal fuel production, worker health and safety, and nuclear forensics. Journal of Nuclear Materials, 510, 156-162.

2017

• Athon, M. T., Fryxell, G. E., Chuang, C. Y., & Santschi, P. H. (2017). Sorption of selected radionuclides on different MnO2 phases. Environmental Chemistry, 14(4), 207-214.

2015

• Xu, C., Zhang, S., Kaplan, D.I., Ho, Y.F., Schwehr, K.A., Roberts, K.A., Chen, H., DiDonato, N., Athon, M., Hatcher, P.G. and Santschi, P.H., 2015. Evidence for hydroxamate siderophores and other N-containing organic compounds controlling 239,240 Pu immobilization and remobilization in a wetland sediment. Environmental science & technology, 49(19), pp.11458-11467.
• Xu, C., Kaplan, D. I., Zhang, S., Athon, M., Ho, Y. F., Li, H. P., & Santschi, P. H. (2015). Radioiodine sorption/desorption and speciation transformation by subsurface sediments from the Hanford Site. Journal of environmental radioactivity, 139, 43-55.

2014

• Xu, C., Athon, M., Ho, Y.-F., Chang, H.-S., Zhang, S., Kaplan, D.I., Schwehr, K.A., DiDonato, N., Hatcher, P.G., Santschi, P.H. 2014. Plutonium Immobilization and Re-mobilization by Soil Mineral and Organic Matter in the Far-field of the Savannah River Site, USA. ES&T, 48, 3186−3195