Bio
Dr. Gebhart joined ORNL in 2017 as a post doctoral research staff member. In his current role as a pellet injection and fuel cycle scientist for fusion applications, he spends the majority of his time on R&D for the ITER disruption mitigation system and the development of a cryogenic direct internal recirculation solution for the fusion fuel cycle. Dr. Gebhart is situated within the Blanket and Fuel Cycle Group in the Fusion Energy Division, which is a part of the Fusion and Fission Energy and Science Directorate here at ORNL. Dr. Gebhart focuses on the development of fuel cycle, fueling, and disruption mitigation technology necessary for the realization of commercial fusion power.
Dr. Gebhart is heavily involved in the American Nuclear Society (ANS), serving as the Secretary/Treasurer of the Fusion Energy Division of the ANS, where he has been involved in planning the technical program of the Technology of Fusion Energy Meetings since 2016. He also serves as a member of the Fusion Technology Standing Committee of the IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society.
Dr. Gebhart completed his PhD in Nuclear Engineering at the University of Florida (UF). His dissertation focus was on the design and characterization of a pulsed plasma source to mimic the heat loads generated by edge localized modes in a fusion device. Prior to his time at UF, he completed his master’s and bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering at Virginia Tech.