Dan Kotlyar is an Associate Professor at the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology. He specializes in Nuclear and Radiological Engineering. Dr. Kotlyar's research focuses on developing advanced numerical methods and algorithms for modeling complex reactor systems. His work aims to enhance performance through design optimization techniques and to establish sustainable research programs in advanced nuclear reactor design and multi-physics analysis. He leads the Computational Reactor Engineering Laboratory (CoRE), which targets the development of tools for the design of advanced, cost-effective nuclear energy systems. Dr. Kotlyar’s endeavors encompass the design of novel reactor types and fuel cycle options, addressing crucial issues regarding nuclear proliferation, resource utilization, and waste management. He has worked on innovative nuclear thermal propulsion technology for interplanetary travel and has collaborated with BWX Technologies, Inc. to advance reactor fuel technologies. Dr. Kotlyar's academic contributions include numerous awards for his research and technical papers.