Valerio Mascolino

Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering

Dr. Valerio Mascolino joined Mines as an Assistant Professor in August 2025. His work centers on advancing nuclear particle transport methodologies for next-generation nuclear systems. Originally from southern Italy, he earned a joint master’s degree with honors from Politecnico di Torino and Politecnico di Milano, and a Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering from Virginia Tech, where his dissertation focused on the development of fast and accurate hybrid particle transport methods.

Following his Ph.D., Dr. Mascolino joined Argonne National Laboratory, where where he advanced to the position of Principal Nuclear Engineer. In this role, he served as the technical lead for the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR) low-enriched uranium (LEU) conversion under the U.S. High Performance Research Reactor program, and was the lead software engineer for ADDER, Argonne’s open-source depletion and fuel management code. Since 2025, Dr. Mascolino also serves on the reactor safety committee of MURR.

His research has focused on time-dependent neutron transport, reactor kinetics, and hybrid transport methods. He is now exploring the use of machine learning and artificial intelligence in neutron transport and multiphysics modeling, with the long-term goal of developing fast, accurate, and predictive analysis tools for advanced nuclear systems, including Generation IV concepts and small modular reactors.

Contact

Brown Hall, W370C
303-384-2091
 valerio.mascolino@mines.edu

Recent Courses

Fall 2025:

  • Nuclear Reactor Design (NUGN585 and NUGN586)
  • Introduction to Nuclear Engineering (ENGY475/MEGN475)

Spring 2026:

  • Fluid Mechanics (MEGN351)

Publications

2025

  • V. Mascolino, A. Haghighat, and J. Link. Monte Carlo modeling of the MicroCHANDLER antineutrino detector during neutron beam irradiation experiments. Nuclear Science and Engineering, pages 1–22, 2025b. https://doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2025.2471698

  • V. Mascolino, S. Yang, L. M. Jamison, K. E. Anderson, D. S. Yoon, J. A. Stillman, L.‑w. Hu, W. M. Mohamed, and E. H. Wilson. Impact of U‑10Mo HALEU Fuel Element Tolerances on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Reactor Safety and Operational Performance – Neutronics. Annals of Nuclear Energy, 219:11307, 2025c. ISSN 0306‑4549. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2025.111307

  • S. Yang, V. Mascolino, L. M. Jamison, K. E. Anderson, L.‑w. Hu, D. S. Yoon, J. A. Stillman, W. M. Mohamed, and E. H. Wilson. Impact of U‑10Mo HALEU Fuel Element Tolerances on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Reactor Safety and Operational Performance – Thermal Hydraulics. Annals of Nuclear Energy, 219:111376, 2025. ISSN 0306‑4549. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2025.111376

  • F. Cetinbas, W. M. Mohamed, D. S. Yoon, J. A. Stillman, V. Mascolino, M. Pinilla, and E. H. Wilson. MURR LEU Structural and Thermal Hydraulics Analyses: Part I ‑ Preliminary Irradiation Thermo‑Mechanical Behavior. Annals of Nuclear Energy, 217:111350, 2025. ISSN 0306‑4549. doi:10.1016/j.anucene.2025.111350

  • D. S. Yoon, F. Cetinbas, G. Wang, J. A. Stillman, V. Mascolino, M. Pinilla, E. E. Feldman, W. Mohamed, and E. H. Wilson. MURR LEU structural and thermal hydraulics analyses: Part II – Impacts of irradiation thermo‑mechanical behavior on thermal hydraulics safety analyses. Annals of Nuclear Energy, 215:111236, 2025. ISSN 0306‑4549. doi:10.1016/j.anucene.2025.111236

2024

  • L.Snoj, V. Mascolino, T. Goričanec, et al. A half‑century of nuclear research, education and training: Story of the JSI TRIGA reactor. Annals of Nuclear Energy, 214:111122, 2025. ISSN 0306‑4549. doi:10.1016/j.anucene.2024.111122

  • V. Mascolino, A. Pungerčič, L. Snoj, and A. Haghighat. Experimental Validation of the 3‑D Neutron Kinetics Algorithm of RAPID using the JSI TRIGA Mark‑II reactor. Progress in Nuclear Energy, 176(November 2024):105391, 2024. doi:10.1016/j.pnucene.2024.105391

  • V. Mascolino and A. Haghighat. A Novel Hybrid Deterministic and Monte Carlo Neutron Transport Formulation and Algorithm (tRAPID) for Accurate and Fast 3‑D Reactor Kinetics. Nuclear Science and Engineering, 198(3):592–627, mar 2024. ISSN 0029‑5639. doi:10.1080/00295639.2023.2197844

  • G. Wang, C. Bojanowski, W. Mohamed, M. Sitek, J. Stillman, V. Mascolino, M. Pinilla, and E. Wilson. Evaluation of Flow‑Induced Plate Deflection for University of Missouri

  • Research Reactor Low‑Enriched Uranium Fuel Element. Nuclear Engineering and Design, 426:113369, sep 2024. ISSN 0029‑5493. doi:10.1016/j.nucengdes.2024.113369

2023

  • Pungerčič, V. Mascolino, A. Haghighat, and L. Snoj. Verification of a novel fuel burnup algorithm in the RAPID code system based on Serpent‑2 simulation of the TRIGA Mark II research reactor. Nuclear Engineering and Technology, 2023. ISSN 1738‑5733. doi:10.1016/j.net.2023.06.040

2022

  • V. Mascolino, A. Haghighat, and L. Snoj. Development and validation of new algorithms for control rods insertion modeling in the RAPID code system using the JSI TRIGA Mark‑II reactor. Annals of Nuclear Energy, 166:108711, feb 2022. ISSN 0306‑4549. doi:10.1016/J.ANUCENE.2021.108711.

2021

  • V. Mascolino, A. Haghighat, and L. Snoj. Verification and Validation of RAPID Formulations and Algorithms Based on Dosimetry Measurements at the JSI TRIGA Mark‑II Reactor. Nuclear Science and Engineering, 195(9):937–953, sep 2021. ISSN 0029‑5639. doi:10.1080/00295639.2021.1890321

  • C. Awe, P. Barbeau, A. Haghighat, S. Hedges, T. Johnson, S. Li, J. M. Link, V. Mascolino, J. Runge, and J. Steenis. Measurement of proton quenching in a plastic scintillator detector. Journal of Instrumentation, 16(02):P02035, 2021. ISSN 1748‑0221. doi:10.1088/1748‑0221/16/02/P02035

2018

  • D. Caron, R. Bonifetto, S. Dulla, V. Mascolino, P. Ravetto, L. Savoldi, D. Valerio, and R. Zanino. Full‑core coupled neutronic / thermal‑hydraulic modelling of the EBR‑II SHRT‑45R transient. International Journal of Energy Research, 42(1):134–150,2018. ISSN 0363‑907X. doi:10.1002/er.3571

2017

  • · V. Mascolino, A. Haghighat, and N. J. Roskoff. Evaluation of RAPID for a UNF cask benchmark problem. EPJ Web Conf., 153(ICRS‑13 & RPSD‑2016, 13th International Conference on Radiation Shielding & 19th Topical Meeting of the Radiation Protection and Shielding Division of the American Nuclear Society ‑ 2016):05025, 2017. doi:10.1051/epjconf/201715305025