Nuclear and Radiation Engineering graduate student Braden Pecora has been selected as the 2026–27 Kay Bailey Hutchison (KBH) Computational Energy Fellow, a joint fellowship from the Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences and the KBH Energy Center at UT Austin.
The fellowship recognizes an outstanding Oden Institute graduate student or postdoctoral fellow who contributes computational science expertise to the educational programming of the KBH Energy Center's Energy Studies Minor.
Pecora is a graduate student in Mechanical Engineering working under the guidance of Professors Kevin Clarno and Michael E. Webber with a focus on computational nuclear energy. His current research involves the development of multiphysics simulation software for molten salt nuclear reactors. He holds a B.S. in Computational Engineering, awarded with Highest and Special Honors from UT Austin, bringing expertise in numerical methods, fluid dynamics, heat transfer, and nuclear engineering.
Prior to his current research, Pecora studied power sector capacity expansion models and led the development of a proprietary Mixed Integer Linear Program for optimal investment in hydrogen infrastructure. Outside of academia, he is a performing classical saxophonist and possesses intermediate language proficiency in Japanese.
During the 2026–27 fellowship term, Pecora will present to Energy Studies Minor students in their summer program, accompany KBH undergraduates on field excursions, and engage with KBH Graduate Fellows working on energy policy — connecting the computational nuclear energy research happening in NRE to the broader energy landscape in Texas.
Congratulations to Braden on this well-deserved recognition.
