[atomicalchemy]

Not at this exact moment, as the first steps require reactor engineers and chemists.

However, if my seed raise goes as well, I will have some margin to get a software person to help couple together some of the various modeling and simulation codes we use for reactor design.

Further down the line, I will definitely need some software engineers though. I have some novel improvements I want to make upon how material is inserted and removed from the core to be processed, and I will definitely need a custom software control system that talks to hardware to do that.

I make a note to check back with you when I make a posting that requires your expertise, and I will preferentially hire people like you who are passionate and enthusiastic. It's definitely easier to learn how nuclear tech works than it is to shed decades of crappy nuclear industry corporate culture.

[atemerev]

Thank you!

Regarding the simulation codes, I worked (as a hobbyist) with OpenMC; but you are probably using something else, as OpenMC is more a teaching aid than a production code.

[atomicalchemy]

That's a huge boon. If you've already become familiar with nuclear codes by playing with OpenMC for fun, we may be talking sooner rather than later!

[tpfour]

Theoretical/computational chemist turned software developer. What kind of skills are you looking for?

[atomicalchemy]

A radiochemist will help me determine the the size requirements of the hot cells for the final facility design. I understand the chemistry needed to separate out some of the most commonly used radioisotopes, but I don't have a sense of scale other than the processes being "bench top" scale.

Additionally, he or she (and with a few colleagues) will develop all of the processing procedures for the myriad isotopes that the facility will produce. A lot of what's publicly available for processing and purification has been optimized and is trade secret.

Another interesting problem is how to turn more of your waste into wealth? Currently, Mo-99 (the radioisotope with the largest market share) is primarily produced by extracting the Mo-99 from fission products. Mo-99 is produced in 7% of fissions. Well, if I process out the Mo-99, how many times and how many different processes on that waste can I perform to extract out other radioisotopes before I have to dispose of it?

Early on I'll need a radiochemist with a certain level of hands-on experience because their work will directly tie into the regulatory process, but as I raise more money and build my team, I'm certain that a computation chemist can help answer that last question which could be a huge innovation.