Bio
Dr. Caroline D. Nesaraja is a nuclear physicist in the Physics Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), specializing in the careful and detailed evaluation of nuclear structure and radioactive‑decay data. Her work focuses on the systematic assessment of nuclear level properties, electromagnetic transition properties (gamma rays), radiation‑specific decay data, and published nuclear structure and decay experimental studies. Through rigorous consistency checks, uncertainty analysis, and resolution of conflicting datasets, she produces critically evaluated “best value” results that form authoritative contributions to the Evaluated Nuclear Structure Data File (ENSDF)—the primary global standard for nuclear structure and decay information used across basic research, nuclear technology development, isotope production, astrophysics modeling, and national security applications.
Dr. Nesaraja earned her PhD in nuclear physics through a sandwich program between the National University of Malaysia and Forschungszentrum Jülich, during which she was supported as a German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Scholar. She serves as an Evaluator and Advisor for the IAEA’s International Network of Nuclear Structure and Decay Data Evaluators (NSDD), contributing to international evaluation guidelines and advancements in ENSDF methodologies. In 2022, she served on the NSAC Nuclear Data Subcommittee, co‑authoring recommendations that define national priorities and long‑term strategies for nuclear‑data stewardship.
Her scientific achievements have been recognized through multiple ORNL and professional honors, including UT‑Battelle awards for scientific accomplishment, the American Physical Society’s Woman Physicist of the Month recognition, and a 2024 ORNL Physics Division Certificate of Recognition. Her ongoing work advances the precision, reliability, and scientific impact of nuclear structure and decay data for the international research community.
Awards
2024
Certificate of Recognition from the ORNL Physics Division
for exceptional achievements in nuclear data evaluation and service to the laboratory community.
2016
American Physical Society’s Committee on the Status of Women in Physics (CSWP)
Woman Physicist of the Month (June 2016)
In recognition of expertise in the critical analysis and
evaluation of nuclear data on the structure and decay
properties of nuclei.
2010
UT Battelle Awards, Oak Ridge National laboratory
i) Director’s Outstanding Team Accomplishment
ii) Scientific Research
UT Battelle Awards for the first experimental demonstration that
tin-132 is a "doubly-magic" nucleus, the first such nucleus that
is neutron-rich and unstable - and one of only seven of all such
nuclei. (The Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility measurement
used to verify this new nuclear equivalent of a noble gas mimics
reactions that are key to understanding the creation of heavy
elements in supernova explosions.)