Uday M
- Research Program Mentor

PhD candidate at University of California Davis (UCD)

Expertise

Nuclear energy, materials science

Bio

Uday (oo•day) is currently a PhD candidate in Materials Engineering at UC Davis, having previously completed a Master's degree in Materials Engineering from UC Davis and a Bachelor's degree in Nuclear Engineering from UC Berkeley. He has worked as a staff scientist for over six years at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), where he currently specializes in actinide metal and oxide characterization. He is a proficient technical writer and scientific communicator. His goal is to play a role in making energy clean, cheap, and accessible all around the world. Uday enjoys watching and playing basketball, diving into the video game worlds of Mario and Zelda, and reading Ted Chiang-esque sci-fi novels.

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

Is Nuclear Energy worth pursuing?

The world faces a climate crisis, one in which immediate and drastic action is needed. Promising technologies such as nuclear power have faced public opposition and regulatory hurdles for years. Together, we can explore whether it is technically viable (is it better than other energy generation techniques) and practically acceptable (is it safe and what are the long-term consequences).

Languages I know

Spanish (beginner)

Teaching experience

Uday has taught and mentored students for almost a decade, both in group settings (e.g., Mathnasium, Kumon) and in 1 on 1 instruction. He has substantial experience with high school level students in areas of math and science.