Venkata Bhuvaneswari Vukkum

Venkata B. Vukkum (Bhuvana) is a Staff Scientist in the electron Microscopy and MicroAnalysis (eMMA) Group at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS), Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where she leads research in Atom Probe Tomography (APT) and cryogenic characterization of materials in extreme environments. She received her Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from North Carolina State University in 2023 and conducted postdoctoral research at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (2023–2026). Her research combines APT, electron microscopy, electrochemistry, and advanced materials processing to understand corrosion, hydrogen–metal interactions, and environmentally assisted degradation at the nanoscale.

During her postdoctoral research at PNNL, she developed cryogenic APT workflows integrating Cryo-FIB preparation and cryogenic transfer to preserve and quantify hydrogen at nanoscale trapping sites. She was subsequently awarded a $115K Tritium Technology Program (TTP) project to investigate hydrogen–metal interactions in TPBAR cladding, with a focus on hydrogen trapping at specific grain boundaries and carbide interfaces. At CNMS, she continues to advance APT and cryogenic correlative characterization capabilities to resolve atomic-scale mechanisms governing the performance and degradation of structural materials in extreme environments.