Renowned Theoretical Nuclear Physicist Joins GW
Renowned Theoretical Nuclear Physicist Joins GW
October 2011
Andrei Afanasev is the first Gus Weiss Chair of Theoretical Physics and Energy Studies.
Renowned theoretical nuclear physicist Andrei Afanasev has joined the Columbian College this fall as the inaugural holder of the Gus Weiss Chair of Theoretical Physics and Energy Studies. Afanasev, who has been hailed for his nuclear research by such notables in the field as Physics Nobel Laureate Abdus Salam, comes to GW from Hampton University and the Jefferson Lab (Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility).
“Gus Weiss was a strong advocate for the sciences, a generous friend of Columbian College and a dedicated member of the college’s advisory board,” said Peg Barratt, dean of GW’s Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. “It is a tribute to Dr. Weiss’ legacy that someone of Andrei Afanasev’s caliber is the inaugural holder of this endowed chair.”
Afanasev’s interest in the physics of particle accelerators led to his research in the field of energy, with a focus on the development of sub-critical accelerator driven reactors (ADRs), the concept that was promoted recently by Physics Nobel Laureate Carlo Rubbia. These reactors are unique in that they use thorium—a radioactive element found in plentiful quantities within the Earth's crust—as their fuel. The reactors can only undergo the fission and fusion processes as long as they are fed a source of neutrons supplied by an accelerator. The end products of the reaction are short-lived isotopes that do not require long-term storage and cannot be used in nuclear weapons. In addition to several national laboratories, universities and industries, the Indian and Belgian governments are also promising financial support for projects developing ADRs.
“Andrei Afanasev is an exciting addition to our research efforts at GW,” said AllenaOpper, chair of the Department of Physics and professor of physics. “He is already collaborating with our faculty on research that could impact how we extract and store nuclear energy.”
Afanasev received his Master of Science in Physics and Engineering in 1985 from the Kharkov National University in the Ukraine, where he would go on to earn his Ph.D. in theoretical nuclear and particle physics in 1990. For 16 years, Afanasev worked as a research scientist in the Theory Center of Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, where he was also elected a Director of Users Group that included over 1,500 physicists. He has also held numerous research, visiting and faculty positions at the National Institute for Nuclear Physics in Genoa, Italy, the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, North Carolina Central University, Rutgers University and Hampton University. His research is in the field of nuclear and particle physics probed with high-power electron accelerators and free-electron lasers. The impact of his research ranges from energy sustainability to discovering new elementary particles and to developing new technologies for non-proliferation of nuclear materials.
The Dr. Gus Weiss Professorship in Theoretical Physics was endowed in 2003 through a generous bequest. Dr. Weiss, who passed away that same year, had served as director of International Economics for the National Security Council, director of the White House Council on International Economic Policy, professor of economics at New York University and assistant to the secretary of defense for space policy. He also served as an adviser to the CIA from 1972-1980.
