NPRE associate professor Zahra Mohaghegh served on the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Committee on “Improving the Efficiency and Effectiveness of the Coast Guard Certificate of Compliance Examination Program for Gas Carriers.” The collaborative efforts of this committee have recently led to the publication of Reforming the Coast Guard's Certificate of Compliance Program for Liquefied Gas Carriers: Promoting Efficient Implementation and Safety Effectiveness.
The report concludes that “the Coast Guard should undertake reforms to leverage risk assessment methods.” These methods aim to enhance safety while improving efficiency, especially in light of the increasing number of liquefied gas carriers. The committee recommends that the Coast Guard employ risk-informed analysis to evaluate the frequency and scope of inspections. Detailed recommendations based on the committee’s findings can be found here.
Zahra Mohaghegh, the director of NPRE’s Socio-Technical Risk Analysis (SoTeRiA) Research Laboratory, has consistently applied her expertise in nuclear risk analysis to a wide array of technological challenges, thereby contributing to enhancing policymaking and regulation across sectors. She led the Risk Management focus area of the DOE review panel of the Carbon Free Power Project, associated with the construction of a small modular reactor plant. She also served as a member of the Committee on “Transport Airplane Risk Assessment Methodology (TARAM)” of the U.S. National Academies and is currently serving as a member of the NASEM Community of Experts on the “Implementation of Improvements to the Transport Airplane Risk Assessment Methodology” tasked with advising the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the execution of the TARAM Committee recommendations.
“Whether navigating the complexities of advanced nuclear reactor deployment, contributing to safer air travel, or enhancing maritime safety, my involvement has been driven by a strong belief in the power of risk analysis methods to create safer, more resilient sociotechnical systems," Prof. Mohaghegh said. "I am honored to be at the forefront of efforts that leverage scientific research to provide policy-driven solutions for some of the most pressing challenges of our time to enhance public policy and safety regulations on a national scale.”
Mohaghegh joined the University of Illinois in 2013 and established the SoTeRiA research laboratory soon after. Her laboratory leads in socio-technical risk analysis, probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) for conventional power plants and advanced nuclear reactors, probabilistic physics-of-failure analysis, human-system reliability modeling, uncertainty quantification, and risk-informed policymaking for the safety and economic viability of complex technological systems.