Juan Miguel Valderrama

Juan Miguel Valderrama is a PhD student in Nuclear Engineering & Engineering Physics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His research is centered on computational modeling of fusion energy systems, with a focus on how nuclear processes in reactor components influence system behavior and design constraints.

At UW–Madison, Juan studies tritium generation, transport, and inventory in fusion breeding blanket concepts using Monte Carlo neutron transport and multiphysics modeling tools. His work evaluates spatial distributions of tritium production, nuclear heating, and radiation damage and how these quantities evolve under different material and operating assumptions.

Juan earned a B.S. in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Florida. As an undergraduate researcher, he developed physics-constrained neural network models to study atomic diffusion layers in inertial confinement fusion plasmas, focusing on learning solutions to nonlinear transport equations under known physical constraints rather than fitting experimental data.

He previously held a research appointment at Argonne National Laboratory, where he explored approaches for coupling the OpenMC Monte Carlo particle transport code with external multiphysics solvers and produced a draft design outlining a possible adapter architecture. He has also conducted research at General Atomics on computational methods for fusion capsule diagnostics and completed an industry internship at Constellation focused on reactor core analysis and operational modeling.

In addition to his research, Juan serves as Chair of the Fusion Student Delegation, a national student-led organization that facilitates engagement between students, federal agencies, and fusion-related organizations.