Ayman Hawari is Director of the Nuclear Reactor Program and Professor of Nuclear Engineering at North Carolina State University (NCSU).  He obtained a BS from the University of Missouri-Rolla and MSE and PhD from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor all in Nuclear Engineering.  His work focuses on fundamental neutron interactions in matter with application to the physics of advanced nuclear reactor systems. He currently leads multiple US Department of Energy (DOE) funded projects related to small modular reactors, high temeprature reactors, testing reactors and the investigation of modern accident tolerant nuclear fuel. He often serves in leadership and advisory roles for various organizations in the United States and abroad including the United Nation’s IAEA, the OECD’s NEA, the International Group on Research Reactors, the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, and the Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute. Prof. Hawari’s research has been recognized by many best paper awards and a DOE’s Innovations in Fuel Cycle Research award.  He is a recipient of the NCSU Alcoa Foundation Engineering Research Achievement award and is a Fellow of the American Nuclear Society.