Syed Bahauddin Alam
Primary Research Area
- Reactor Physics
Research Areas
- Reactor Physics
For More Information
Biography
Dr. Syed Bahauddin Alam (Not "Syed Alam") is an Assistant Professor of the Nuclear, Plasma & Radiological Engineering department at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC).
- He has been appointed as one of 11 National Committee Members on Foundation Models for Scientific Discovery and Innovation: Opportunities Across the Department of Energy at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM).
- He was named a National AI leader and expert in UIUC's official institutional response to the White House Request for Information on the U.S. National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Plan (2025).
- He has been named to the American Nuclear Society's Nuclear News "40 Under 40" List (2025) that "shines a spotlight on the exceptional young professionals driving the nuclear sector forward as the nuclear community faces a dramatic generational shift."
- He received the 2025 HPCwire Editors' Choice Award in Energy (for the first time for Grainger UIUC), which recognizes the most significant breakthroughs and the best and brightest minds in supercomputing/HPC.
- He has also been selected/invited as one of ~100 Selected Leaders by the Simons Foundation (Flatiron Institute) to bring leaders and enablers of Foundation Models (FM) for Science together from across the globe.
- For his contribution to AI and Digital Twins research for Nuclear Power Systems, Dr. Alam received the Dean's Award for Excellence in Research from the UIUC Grainger College of Engineering in 2025.
- For his research on AI and digital twins, he was a finalist for the Illinois Innovation Award 2024 for excellence in cutting-edge innovation or translational research that addresses real-world problems and has the potential to make a significant impact.
- He has also been featured in the Illinois Grainger "Top of Mind" in 2024 and 2025.
- Dr. Alam has been featured in Bloomberg News, one of the world's most influential and widely respected sources for business, energy, and technology reporting, to provide expert commentary on "AI+Nuclear Energy" and "Nuclear-Powered Data Center."
- His work has also been featured in Illinois Alumni Magazine, which serves as a repository of inspiring stories that capture the spirit of Illinois.
- His Nature Portfolio-published research on AI-powered digital twins for nuclear systems attracted extensive national and international media coverage featured by over twenty global major news outlets, including American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS/Science Magazine/EurekAlert), Microsoft Network, Ground News, Nuclear Engineering International, Quantum Zeitgeist, LeBigData (France), EYE Magazine, Interesting Engineering, Innovant.fr (France), Scienze Notizie (Italy), Enerzine.com (France) and so on. The research also ranked in the top 5% of all research outputs scored by Nature Altmetric globally.
Education
- Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), B.Sc., Electrical and Electronics Engineering, 2011
- University of Cambridge, M.Phil., Nuclear Energy, 2013
- University of Cambridge, Ph.D., Nuclear Engineering, 2018
Academic Positions
- 2023-Present, Assistant Professor, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering (100% FTE)
- 2023-Present, Assistant Professor, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, National Center for Supercomputing Applications (0% FTE)
- 2020-2023, Assistant Professor, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science
Journal Editorships
- Review Editor of Frontiers in Energy Research
- Guest Editor of the Journal of Nuclear Engineering for the Special Issue of Intelligent, Explainable, and Trustworthy AI for Advanced Nuclear Systems (2023-2024)
- Editor of the Journal Computers for the Special Issue of Uncertainty Aware Artificial Intelligence (2024-2025)
- Guest Advisor of the journal Nuclear Science and Engineering on "Scientific Machine Learning for Nuclear Engineering Problems" (2024-present)
- Associate Editor of a Special Section of the journal IEEE Access on "Digital Twins for Energy-related Applications"
- Editorial Board member, Nature Scientific Reports
Service to Federal and State Government
- National Academies of Science, Reviewer Panel, 2025
- Independent Academic Panelist, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy Consolidated Innovative Nuclear Research, (Machine learning, digital twins, structural health monitoring, and sensor development), 2024
- U.S. Department Of Energy (DOE) Small Business Innovation Research Proposal, 2024
- U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Research and Development Grant, (Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence track), 2023
- U.S. Department Of Energy (DOE) Small Business Innovation Research Proposal, 2023
- U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship, 2023
- U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy Consolidated Innovative Nuclear Research (Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence), 2023
- U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship, 2022
- U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Research and Development Grant 2022 (Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence track), 2022
Research Interests
- Multiscale Modeling with Uncertainty Quantification and Robust Optimization
- Cybersecurity for Real-Time Threat Monitoring of Advanced Reactors
- Sensors, Instrumentation and Control for Nuclear Systems
- Artificial Intelligence and Digital Twins for Nuclear Energy
Primary Research Area
- Reactor Physics
Research Areas
- Reactor Physics
For More Information
Books Authored or Co-Authored (Original Editions)
Chapters in Books
- K. Kobayashi, S. Usman, C. Castano, A. Alajo, D. Kumar, S.B. Alam. "Surrogate Modeling-Driven Physics-Informed Multi-fidelity Kriging: Path forward to Digital Twin Enabling Simulation for Accident Tolerant Fuels", Springer Handbook of Smart Energy Systems, March 2023
- K. Kobayashi, S. Usman, C. Castano, A. Alajo, D. Kumar, S.B. Alam. "Data- Driven Multiscale Modeling and Robust Optimization of Composite Structure with Uncertainty Quantification", Springer Handbook of Smart Energy Systems, January 2023
- K. Kobayashi, D. Kumar, K. Paaren, S. Usman, S.B. Alam. "Uncertainty Quantification and Sensitivity analysis for Digital Twin Enabling Technology: Application for BISON Fuel Performance Code", Handbook of Smart Energy Systems, January 2023
- R. Verma, K. Kobayashi, D. Kumar, S.B. Alam. "Reliability-Based Robust Design Optimization Method for Engineering Systems with Uncertainty Quantification", Handbook of Smart Energy Systems, January 2023
- A. Khan, S. Omar, N. Mustahry, R. Verma, D. Kumar, S.B. Alam. "Digital Twin and Artificial Intelligence Incorporated With Surrogate Modeling for Hybrid and Sustainable Energy Systems", Handbook of Smart Energy Systems, November 2022
- K. Kobayashi, M. Bonney, D. Kumar, K. Paaren, S.B. Alam. "Digital Twin for Multi-criteria Decision-Making Framework to Accelerate Fuel Qualification for Accident-Tolerant Fuel Concepts", Springer Handbook of Smart Energy Systems, November 2022
- K. Kobayashi, M. Bonney, D. Kumar, K. Paaren, S.B. Alam. "Practical Applications of Gaussian Process with Uncertainty Quantification and Sensitivity Analysis for Digital Twin for Advanced Nuclear Fuel", Springer Handbook of Smart Energy Systems, November 2022
- M. Rahman, A. Khan, R. Verma, D. Kumar, K. Kobayashi, S.B. Alam. "Leveraging Industry 4.0: Deep Learning, Surrogate Model, and Transfer Learning with Uncertainty Quantification Incorporated into Digital Twin for Nuclear System", Handbook of Smart Energy Systems, November 2022
- J. Fox, J. Eagen, A. Alajo, S.B. Alam. “Using Artificial Intelligence for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Commercial Nuclear Applications”, Handbook of Smart Energy Systems, November 2022
- S. Hassan, A. Khan, R. Verma, D. Kumar, K. Kobayashi, S. Usman, S.B. Alam. "Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence-Driven Multi-Scale Modeling for High Burnup Accident-Tolerant Fuels for Light Water-Based SMR Applications", Handbook of Smart Energy Systems, October 2022
- D. Kumar, F. Ahmed, S. Usman, A. Alajo, S.B. Alam. "Recent Advances in Uncertainty Quantification Methods for Industrial Applications." AI Assurance: Towards Valid, Explainable, Fair, and Ethical AI, 2022
Selected Articles in Journals
- D.L. Crawford, S.B. Alam, M. D’Elia, K. Garikipati, S. Ho, S.H. Holan, M. Kearns, P. Koumoutsakos, B. Kulis, D.I. Meiron, N. Trask. "Foundation Models for Scientific Discovery and Innovation: Opportunities Across the Department of Energy and the Scientific Enterprise." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2025
- R. Hossain, K. Kobayashi, S.B. Alam. "Virtual Sensing-Enabled Digital Twin Framework for Real-Time Monitoring of Nuclear Systems Leveraging Deep Neural Operators." Nature npj Materials Degradation, 2025
- J. Daniell,K. Kobayashi, S.B. Alam. "Digital Twin-Centered Hybrid Data-Driven Multi-Stage Deep Learning Framework for Enhanced Nuclear Reactor Power Prediction." Energy and AI, 2024
- R. Hossain,K. Kobayashi, S.B. Alam. "Sensor Degradation in Nuclear Reactor Pressure Vessels: The Overlooked Factor in Remaining Useful Life Prediction." Nature npj Materials Degradation, 2024
- K. Kobayashi, S.B. Alam. "Deep neural operator-driven real-time inference to enable digital twin solutions for nuclear energy systems." Nature Scientific Reports, Volume 14, 2024
- K. Kobayashi, D. Kumar, S.B. Alam. "AI-driven non-intrusive uncertainty quantification of advanced nuclear fuels for digital twin-enabling technology." Progress in Nuclear Energy, Volume 172, July 2024
- K. Kobayashi, J. Daniell, S.B. Alam. "Improved generalization with deep neural operators for engineering systems: Path towards digital twin." Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence, Volume 131, May 2024
- K. Kobayashi, S.B. Alam. "Explainable, Interpretable & Trustworthy AI for Intelligent Digital Twin: Case Study on Remaining Useful Life." Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence, Volume 129, March 2024
- D. Kumar, S.B. Alam, T. Ridwan, C. Goodwin. "Quantitative Risk Assessment of A High Power Density Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Core Using Uncertainty And Sensitivity Analyses." Energy, Vol 227, 2022
- B. Almutairi, S. Jaradat, D. Kumar, C. S. Goodwin, S. Usman, A. Alajo, S.B. Alam. "Weight Loss and Burst Testing Investigations of Sintered Silicon Carbide Under Oxidizing Environments for Next Generation Accident Tolerant Fuels for SMR Applications." Materials Today Communications, Vol 30, March 2022
- D. Kumar, M. Marchi, S.B. Alam, C. Kavka; Y. Koutsawa, G. Rauchs; S. Belouettar. "Multi-Criteria Decision Making Under Uncertainties in Composite Materials Selection and Design." Composite Structures, September 2021
- B. Almutairi, S.B. Alam, C. S. Goodwin and S. Usman. "Simultaneous experimental evaluation of pulse shape and deadtime phenomenon of GM detector." Nature Scientific Reports, Volume 11, February 2021
- B. Almutairi, S.B. Alam, C. S. Goodwin, S. Usman and T. Akyurek. "Experimental Evaluation of the Deadtime Phenomenon for GM Detector: Deadtime Dependence on Operating Voltages." Nature Scientific Reports, Volume 10, November 2020
Articles in Conference Proceedings
- K. Kobayashi, S.B. Alam. "Virtual Sensing and Model Adaptation for Real-Time Monitoring in Nuclear Systems", Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control & Human-Machine Interface Technologies, USA, June 2025
- K. Kobayashi, S.B. Alam. "Recurrent Neural Operator for Time-Series Nuclear System Monitoring", Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control & Human-Machine Interface Technologies, USA, June 2025
- K. Kobayashi, C. Godbole, V. Agarwal, V. Yadav, S.B. Alam. "Predictive Modeling and Uncertainty Quantification in Condition Monitoring of Active Components", Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control & Human-Machine Interface Technologies, USA, June 2025
- M. Alam, S. Talukder, S. Roy, K. Kobayashi, S.B. Alam. "Quantum-Safe Authentication Scheme for Advanced Reactor Devices using Homomorphic Encryption", Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control & Human-Machine Interface Technologies, USA, June 2025
- M. Alam, S. Talukder, S. Roy, K. Kobayashi, S.B. Alam. "Leveraging Large Language Models for Security Assessment in the Network of Devices in Nuclear Power Plants", Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control & Human-Machine Interface Technologies, USA, June 2025
- M. Alam, S. Talukder, S. Roy, K. Kobayashi, S.B. Alam. "A Privacy-Aware Cyber Attack Detection Framework for Advanced Reactors Using Data Fusion and Quantum Deep Learning", Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control & Human-Machine Interface Technologies, USA, June 2025
- S. Puppala, S. Talukder, S. Roy, K. Kobayashi, S.B. Alam. "Secure Anomaly Detection in Advanced Reactor through Quantum Federated Learning with Advanced Cryptography", Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control & Human-Machine Interface Technologies, USA, June 2025
- J.C. Rodriguez, D. Perry, M.A. Rahman, S.B. Alam. “An Intelligent Hierarchical Framework for Efficient Fault Detection and Diagnosis in Nuclear Power Plants,” Proceedings of the Sixth Workshop on CPS & IoT Security and Privacy, pp. 80-92, 2024
Invited Lectures
- Policy Recommendations for Bangladesh Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant
- Feasibility of Fueling Future US Naval Reactors with Low Enriched Uranium (LEU)
- Demystifying Digital Twin (DT)-Enabling Technologies for Nuclear Systems: An International Collaborative Effort
- Digital Twin for Online Monitoring Strategies
- Explainable Digital Twin for Nuclear Systems
- Explainable Digital Twin for Real-Time Monitoring for Nuclear Components
- Keynote: Toward Foundation Models in Nuclear: Energy-Efficient, Adaptive, and Agentic Digital Twins
- Real-Time Digital Twin-Enabling AI for Energy Systems: Path Towards Foundation Model
- Technical Evaluation and Optimization of Nuclear-Renewable Hybrid Energy Systems
- Transforming Robotics Research: AI, Advanced Materials, and Hazardous Applications
- Toward Energy-Efficient Foundation Models: Reimagining Digital Twin Solutions for Real-Time Sensing in Inaccessible Locations
- Executive Session: Operationalizing AI for Nuclear Energy Application
Research Honors
- American Nuclear Society Ted Quinn Early Career Award (recognizes an individual for outstanding early-career contributions to nuclear instrumentation and control or human-machine interface technologies) (2026)
- Invited Expert Commentary, MIT Technology Review (2026)
- NSF CAREER Award (2026)
- Department of Energy Distinguished Early Career Award (2025)
- American Nuclear Society (ANS) Nuclear News “40 Under 40” (national honor recognizing exceptional young professionals driving innovation and leadership in the nuclear sector during a generational transition) (2025)
- HPCwire Editors’ Choice Award in Energy (honors the most significant breakthroughs and the best and brightest minds in AI/supercomputing worldwide, the sole global award in its category, marking the first recognition of The Grainger College of Engineering (UIUC) in HPCwire’s Energy distinction) (2025)
- Named a National AI Leader and Expert in UIUC's official institutional response to the White House Request for Information on the U.S. National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Plan (2025) (selected to represent institutional expertise shaping national AI policy) (2025)
- One of 100 Selected Global Leaders, Simons Foundation (Flatiron Institute) (invited to shape the future of AI and foundation models for scientific discovery worldwide) (2025)
- Expert National Committee Member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) on "Foundation Models for Scientific Discovery and Innovation,” advising the U.S. Department of Energy on national strategy for foundation models in scientific discovery (2025)
- 2025 Dean's Award for Excellence in Research (recognizes outstanding research among the UIUC College of Engineering faculties) (2025)
- Illinois Innovation Award (Finalist) for “Digital Twin for Real-Time Monitoring of Nuclear Operations and Maintenance” (recognizes high-impact translational research with commercialization potential) (2024)
- Nuclear Nonproliferation Education & Research Center (NEREC) Scholarship (selected from ~30 fellows across 16 countries) (2017)
- Most Exemplary Graduate Fellow Award, Nuclear Nonproliferation Fellowship, KAIST (highest distinction among fellowship recipients) (2017)
- Cambridge Philosophical Society Research Studentships Award (awarded for a promising and high-impact doctoral research program) (2017)
- Best Student Poster Award, ICAPP 2016, San Francisco, CA (2016)
- Cambridge W. G. Collins Endowment Fund Award (supports outstanding graduate research at the University of Cambridge) (2016)
- American Nuclear Society Student Travel Scholarship (2016)
- Cambridge St. Edmund’s College Tutorial Award (repeat recognition for sustained academic excellence) (2016)
- Best Student Paper Award, International Congress on Advances in Nuclear Power Plants (ICAPP 2016), San Francisco, CA (2016)
- Cambridge St. Edmund’s College Tutorial Award (recognizes excellence in scholarship and academic contribution at Cambridge) (2015)
- Cambridge Ford of Britain Trust Award (competitive fellowship supporting high-achieving scholars at the University of Cambridge) (2015)
- Best Technical Poster Award, American Nuclear Society (ANS), 16th International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Reactor Thermal Hydraulics (NURETH-16), Chicago, IL (2015)
- Outstanding Research Award, Undergraduate Project Workshop, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) (top research distinction among graduating undergraduate projects) (2011)
- International Rotary Vocational Excellence Award (recognizes exceptional professional and societal impact at an early career stage) (2011)