Member, IASMiRT Advisory Board
Idaho National Laboratory, USA
Cheryl O’Brien is the Director of Nuclear Safety, Engineering Programs, and the Engineering Technical Authority Office for Battelle Energy Alliance at the DOE Idaho National Laboratory. In this role she oversees nuclear and criticality safety engineering programs for reactor and non-reactor nuclear research facilities at the Laboratory, and is responsibility for evaluating natural phenomena hazard characterization. On behalf of the Engineering Technical Authority, she manages Laboratory-wide engineering processes, and Subject Matter Experts for engineering codes and standards. Accomplishments in her previous positions as Director of Engineering Analysis and Design, and Department Manager of Applied Mechanics and Sustainable Design include establishing Laboratory level engineering research projects, centralized management of engineering software, high energy physics computational capability, a severe weather test site with three full-scale test buildings, and initiating an award-winning sustainable design program for the Laboratory. Prior to her line management assignments, Ms. O’Brien served as Program Manager and Principal Investigator for the Lockheed Martin Idaho Technologies Company on an initiative to develop test capabilities for natural hazards such as high winds and seismic events. Ms. O’Brien specialized in advanced computational stress analysis of mechanical, wind, seismic and impact loading on nuclear power production and research facilities for the Westinghouse Idaho Nuclear Company and EG&G. Ms. O’Brien holds bachelor and masters degrees in Civil Engineering, and is a registered Professional Engineer.