Dr. Dominik Fritz is an Assistant Professor of Nuclear Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he earned both his B.S. and Ph.D. in nuclear engineering, completing his doctorate in 2022. His doctoral research focused on the design of cold moderator systems and the measurement of thermal neutron cross sections of moderator materials — work conducted in collaboration with national laboratory partners including Los Alamos and Oak Ridge — and he received a Nuclear Energy University Program fellowship to support that research. Prior to returning to RPI as faculty, he gained industry experience as a Senior Nuclear Engineer and consultant at NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes, where he contributed to radioisotope production technology including co-inventing a patented liquid deposition method for bombardment target preparation.
Dr. Fritz’s research sits at the intersection of neutron physics, nuclear data, and moderator materials, with a particular focus on sub-thermal neutron behavior and thermal scattering law validation. His published work includes precision cross section measurements of hydrogen-dense polymers and yttrium hydride — materials relevant to advanced reactor moderator design — conducted using the RPI Linear Accelerator (LINAC) facility. He has presented his work at leading international nuclear data conferences and collaborates with researchers across multiple national laboratories. He also completed specialized training in nuclear safeguards and nondestructive assay at Los Alamos National Laboratory through the Nuclear Science and Security Consortium.