Syed Bahauddin Alam

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Education

• Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), B.Sc. in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, 2011
• University of Cambridge, MPhil in Nuclear Energy, 2013
• University of Cambridge, PhD in Nuclear Engineering, 2018

Biography

Dr. Syed Bahauddin Alam is an Assistant Professor of Nuclear, Plasma and Radiological Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). He leads MARTIANS (Machine Learning & ARTficial Intelligence for Advancing Nuclear Systems) Lab [https://sbahauddin.tech/]. Dr. Alam received several Awards and Honors for his research and teaching. He received the Outstanding Teaching Award from Missouri S&T in 2021. He was awarded the Most Exemplary Graduate Fellow Award on “Nuclear Nonproliferation Fellowship 2017” by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Tech (KAIST). He was also the winner of the ANS Best Student Paper Award in recognition of the “Exceptional Quality of the Paper” (ICAPP 2016), Nominated for the Young Generation/Student Award for the Outstanding Paper (ICAPP 2017), and ANS Best Technical Poster Award (NURETH-16). He was also awarded the Cambridge Philosophical Society “Research Studentships Award” (2017) during his Ph.D. at Cambridge University.

Research Thrusts:

Thrust 1: Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Learning (ML) applications for nuclear systems
Thrust 1A: Intelligent Digital Twins for Nuclear Plant Asset Monitoring with Explainable AI
Thrust 1B: Structural Health Monitoring of Nuclear Components

Thrust 2: Multiphysics modeling for advanced nuclear system
Thrust 2A: Multi-Scale & Coupled Multiphysics (Neutronics/Thermal-Hydraulics/Fuel Performance)  
Thrust 2B: Multiscale Modeling with Uncertainty Quantification and Robust Optimization
Thrust 2C: Modeling of Advanced Nuclear/Reactor System Design with Optimization 

Thrust 3: Cross-cutting & system decision-making for nuclear systems
Thrust 3A: Verification & Validation of Multiphysics Model
Thrust 3B: Zero-Trust: Next-Generation Cyber Threats
Thrust 3C: Instrumentation, Controls, & Natural Language Processing

Academic Positions

• 2023-Present, Assistant Professor, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Nuclear Plasma and Radiological Engineering (100% FTE)
• 2023-Present, Assistant Professor, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, National Center for Supercomputing Applications (0% FTE)
• 2020-2023, Assistant Professor, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science

Research Interests

• Advanced Nuclear/Reactor System Design with Instrumentation & Controls
• Coupled Multiphysics (Neutronics/Thermal-Hydraulics/Fuel Performance) with Predictive Algorithms
• Multiscale Modeling with Uncertainty Quantification and Robust Optimization
• Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning-Driven Digital Twin for Nuclear Systems

Books Authored or Co-Authored (Original Editions)

• K. Kobayashi, S.B. Alam. “Securing Industrial Control Systems: Advanced Strategies and Technologies,” Publisher: Springer Nature, In press, 2025.

Chapters in Books

• K. Kobayashi, S. Usman, C. Castano, A. Alajo, D. Kumar, S.B. Alam. “Surrogate Modeling-Driven Physics-Informed Multi-fidelity Kriging: Path forward to Digital Twin Enabling Simulation for Accident Tolerant Fuels”, “Springer Handbook of Smart Energy Systems”, March 2023.
• R. Verma, K. Kobayashi, D. Kumar, S.B. Alam. “Reliability-Based Robust Design Optimization Method for Engineering Systems with Uncertainty Quantification”, “ Handbook of Smart Energy Systems”, Jan 2023.
• K. Kobayashi, S. Usman, C. Castano, A. Alajo, D. Kumar, S.B. Alam. “Data- Driven Multiscale Modeling and Robust Optimization of Composite Structure with Uncertainty Quantification”, “Springer Handbook of Smart Energy Systems”, Jan 2023.
• K. Kobayashi, D. Kumar, K. Paaren, S. Usman, S.B. Alam. “Uncertainty Quantification and Sensitivity analysis for Digital Twin Enabling Technology: Application for BISON Fuel Performance Code”, “Handbook of Smart Energy Systems”, Jan 2023.
• M. Rahman, A. Khan, R. Verma, D. Kumar, K. Kobayashi, S.B. Alam. “Leveraging Industry 4.0: Deep Learning, Surrogate Model, and Transfer Learning with Uncertainty Quantification Incorporated into Digital Twin for Nuclear System”, “Handbook of Smart Energy Systems”, Nov 2022.
• A. Khan, S. Omar, N. Mustahry, R. Verma, D. Kumar, S.B. Alam. “Digital Twin and Artificial Intelligence Incorporated With Surrogate Modeling for Hybrid and Sustainable Energy Systems”, “Handbook of Smart Energy Systems”, Nov 2022.
• J. Fox, J. Eagen, A. Alajo, S.B. Alam. “Using Artificial Intelligence for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Commercial Nuclear Applications”, in Book: “Handbook of Smart Energy Systems”, Nov 2022.
• D. Kumar, F. Ahmed, S. Usman, A. Alajo, S.B. Alam. “Recent Advances in Uncertainty Quantification Methods for Industrial Applications.” “AI Assurance: Towards Valid, Explainable, Fair, and Ethical AI”, Elsevier, 2022.
• K. Kobayashi, M. Bonney, D. Kumar, K. Paaren, S.B. Alam. “Practical Applications of Gaussian Process with Uncertainty Quantification and Sensitivity Analysis for Digital Twin for Advanced Nuclear Fuel”, “Springer Handbook of Smart Energy Systems”, Nov 2022.
• K. Kobayashi, M. Bonney, D. Kumar, K. Paaren, S.B. Alam. “Digital Twin for Multi-criteria Decision-Making Framework to Accelerate Fuel Qualification for Accident-Tolerant Fuel Concepts”, “Springer Handbook of Smart Energy Systems”, Nov 2022.
• S. Hassan, A. Khan, R. Verma, D. Kumar, K. Kobayashi, S. Usman, S.B. Alam. “Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence-Driven Multi-Scale Modeling for High Burnup Accident-Tolerant Fuels for Light Water-Based SMR Applications”, “Handbook of Smart Energy Systems”, October 2022.

Teaching Honors

• Outstanding Teaching Award in recognition of notable contributions to teaching and commitment to the students by Missouri S&T (2022)
• Outstanding Teaching Award in recognition of notable contributions to teaching and commitment to the students by Missouri S&T (2021)
• Learning Enhancement Across Disciplines (LEAD) Award in recognition of the "Exceptional Extra effort to Help Students Enhance their Success," Missouri S&T (2020-2022)

Research Honors

• Invited as one of ~100 leaders by the Simons Foundation to present on advancing scientific discovery through AI and foundation models. (2025)
• Illinois Innovation Award (Finalist) for the work “Digital Twin for Real-Time Monitoring of Nuclear Operations and Maintenance” (2024)
• Featured as Top of Mind: A legacy of innovation at Grainger Engineering for exciting discoveries at Illinois Grainger Engineering (2024)
• Expert National Committee Member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) on "AI Foundation Models for Scientific Discovery and Innovation." (2025)
• 2025 Dean's Award for Excellence in Research (recognizes outstanding research among the UIUC College of Engineering faculties) (2025)
• Nuclear Nonproliferation Education & Research Center (NEREC) Scholarship (Awarded out of 30 Graduate Fellows from 16 countries) (2017)
• Most Exemplary Graduate Fellow Award on "Nuclear Nonproliferation Fellowship 2017" by Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Tech (KAIST) (2017)
• Cambridge Philosophical Society "Research Studentships Award" (For a Promising Piece of Doctoral research) (2017)
• Best Student Poster Award at the 2016 International Congress on Advances in Nuclear Power Plants (ICAPP 2016) in San Francisco, CA, USA (2016)
• Cambridge W G Collins Endowment Fund (2016)
• Best Student Paper Award in recognition of the "Exceptional Quality of the Paper" at the 2016 International Congress on Advances in Nuclear Power Plants (ICAPP 2016) in San Francisco, CA, USA (2016)
• Best Technical Poster Award by "American Nuclear Society" at the 16th International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Reactor Thermal Hydraulics (NURETH-16) in Chicago, IL, USA (2015)
• Outstanding Research Award in Undergraduate Project Workshop, BUET (2011)
• International Rotary Vocational Excellence Award (2011)