Dr. Jeff King

2008 WISE
Faculty-Member-
in-Residence

After finishing his Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in 1994, Jeff joined the Department of Energy at the Savannah River Operations Office as a Mixed Waste Engineer. In that position, he worked on public participation and compliance efforts related to the Savannah River Site’s RCRA Mixed Waste Installation Work Plan.

A year later he transferred offices to become a Facility Representative at the Savannah River Site’s High-Level Waste Tank Farm.  DOE Facility Representatives are somewhat similar to NRC on-site inspectors and are responsible for monitoring the day-to-day activities at their assigned facility.  This involves a mixture of technical and regulatory oversight, as the Facility Representative must be familiar with the governing DOE regulations and how they are applied at the operating and reporting level.  After three years as a Facility Representative, Jeff decided to return to school and pursue a Master’s and PhD in Nuclear Engineering at the University of New Mexico, starting in 1998.

While at the University of New Mexico, Jeff joined the American Nuclear Society and became involved with a number of public participation/ policy activities including: serving as a representative on the 2002 Nuclear Engineering Student Delegation to Washington D.C., speaking at several public meetings related to the disposition of the Mixed-Waste Landfill at the Sandia National Laboratory, and organizing two irradiated food barbeques to raise public awareness about the benefits of food irradiation.   Jeff also served five years as the director of the New Mexico Space Design Competition, held yearly in Albuquerque in conjunction with the Symposium on Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion.

Jeff finished his PhD with distinction in 2006 and decided to remain in academia as an Assistant Professor of Nuclear Engineering at the Missouri University of Science and Technology (formerly the University of Missouri – Rolla).

Dr. King is an enthusiastic and well-liked instructor with a strong interest in computer aided instructional techniques for both local and distance learning applications. His primary teaching interest is reactor physics and design, along with the social, economic, and political aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle.  Dr. King is also the faculty advisor for the Missouri S&T student chapters of the American Nuclear Society and Women in Nuclear, as well as currently serving as both a Freshmen and Sophomore advisor to over 50 students.

Dr. King has published several papers related to the design and safety of innovative nuclear reactors and is a member of Tau Beta Pi, the American Nuclear Society, and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.  Dr. King's research interests include space nuclear reactor modeling and control, nuclear system simulation, advanced 4th generation reactor concepts and the usage of nuclear reactors for applications beyond the generation of electricity.  Outside of academia, Jeff enjoys a variety of craft hobbies, including metalworking, woodworking, homebrewing, and all aspects of middle-ages recreation with the Society for Creative Anachronism.

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