Dr. Yuqiao (Joy) Fan joined ORNL as an R&D Associate Staff researcher in February 2022 and was promoted to R&D Staff in spring 2026. Within the Blanket and Fuel Cycle Group, her primary research focuses on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) applied to fusion engineering challenges.
Joy’s work on liquid metal (LM) magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) flows includes but not limited to (1) optimizing design of the LM feeding geometry for the DCLL (Dual-Coolant Lead-Lithium) blanket under different magnetic field strengths, (2) feasibility study on a novel blanket candidate, Toroidally Symmetric Lead Lithium (TSLL) blanket, by demonstrating lower MHD pressure drop under significant magnetic fields, (3) integrating various physics (MHD, conjugated heat transfer, mass transfer, two-phase, etc.) to effectively tackle cutting-edge challenges related to plasma-facing components and LM corrosion issues. Currently, Joy leads the development of reduced-order MHD models and AI surrogate models for TSLL blanket design, with the goal of reducing the computational cost of expensive MHD simulations. Joy is also involved in the fuel cycle development projects, focusing on cryogenic hydrogen extruder modeling for leakage-reduced fuel injection into the fusion plasma core, which will contribute to ITER’s success. She also worked on helium visualization for cooling the heated first wall of the fusion blanket. Notably, Joy was featured by multiple media in “Fusion Experts Address Cooling Strategies for Fusion Fuel Cycle” for this research.
Joy is an expert in CFD and high-performance computing, especially in interface capturing two-phase flow in Direct Numerical Simulations. Before her staff career at ORNL, she already worked in Advanced Reactor Engineering and Development Section at ORNL in 2019 as an intern, managed by ORISE (Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education). Due to her extraordinary performance, she was featured by ORISE in the column of “What’s it like Being an ORISE STEM Researcher”. In addition to leading research activities at ORNL, she has led workforce development efforts through public-private partnerships, including student mentoring, fusion engineering course development, and the launch of the first-ever Fusion Innovation Bootcamp.
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Founder and lead organizer
2025-2028
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Executive Committee member
2025-2028
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North Carolina State University
Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering, summa cum laude
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University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
M.S.E. in Nuclear Engineering, cum laude
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Xi’an Jiaotong University
B.E. in Nuclear Engineering, Rank: 1/94
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Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Visiting Student, Grades: A, A+
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Member of American Nuclear Society (ANS) since 2018
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Member of American Physical Society (APS) since 2023
Publications
Additional Publications
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Yuqiao Fan, Marc-Olivier Delchini, Robert Lefebvre, Verification of Nek4nuc (Nek5000 Integrated in NEAMS Workbench) via Turbulent Pipe Flow Simulation, 2020 ANS Winter Meeting and Nuclear Technology Expo, Nov. 2020
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Yuqiao Fan, Igor Bolotnov, Gravity Controller Capability for Single-Bubble Interface-Resolved Simulations, 2020 ANS Winter Meeting and Nuclear Technology Expo, Nov. 2020
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Yuqiao Fan, Jun Fang, Igor Bolotnov, Complex bubble deformation and break-up dynamics studies using interface capturing approach, Experimental and Computational Multiphase Flow, Jul. 2020
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Yuqiao Fan, Igor Bolotnov, Investigation on Bubble Deformation and Break-up Dynamics Using Interface Tracking Method, 2019 ANS Annual Meeting, Jun. 2019
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Yuqiao Fan, Jinyong Feng, Igor Bolotnov, Investigation of Wall Effect on Deformable Bubble Using Interface Tracking Method, 2018 ANS Annual Meeting, Jun. 2018
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Kui Zhang, Yandong Hou, Wenxi Tian, Yuqiao Fan, et al., Experimental investigations on single-phase convection and steam-water two-phase flow boiling in a vertical rod bundle, Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science, Jan. 2017
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Kui Zhang, Yuqiao Fan, et al., Pressure drop characteristics of two-phase flow in a vertical rod bundle with support plates, Nuclear Engineering and Design, Aug. 2016
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Jun Wang, Yuqiao Fan, et al., The development of candling module code in module in-vessel degraded analysis code MIDAC and the relevant calculation for CPR1000 during large-break LOCA, ASME Journal of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science, Feb. 2016
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Yuqiao Fan, Xuejun Zhao, et al., Experimental study on the influence of the incline angle of narrow-necked container on bottleneck effect, Journal of Engineering Thermophysics, Aug. 2015
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Jun Wang, Wenxi Tian, Yuqiao Fan, et al., The development of a zirconium oxidation calculating program module for Module In-vessel Degraded Analysis Code MIDAC, Progress in Nuclear Energy, May 2014
News
June 10, 2025
4 MIN READ
IGNITE Fusion Energy program seeks input on fusion-focused curriculum and Fusion Innovation Bootcamp
