Oleksandr Kukhotskyi

Date of birth: 02 December 1991

Education:
Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering (Nuclear Power Plants and Installations), National Technical University “Kyiv Polytechnic Institute” (2016 - 2021).

Professional experience:
2014 - 2017: State Scientific and Technical Center for Nuclear and Radiation Safety (SSTC NRS). Junior Researcher of Operational Safety Analysis Department. Experts' safety studies applying probabilistic methods, including PSA applications: risk-informed oversight, treatment uncertainty, RIDM process, risk-informed approach to the analysis of operational events (precursor analysis), etc. State nuclear and radiation safety reviews and technical assessment for compliance with fundamental safety principles, criteria and current Ukrainian regulations and standards for nuclear and radiation safety of PSA reports for Ukrainian NPPs, Symptom-Based Emergency Operating Procedures, Severe Accident Management Guidelines, NPPs technical documentation (such as technical decisions, technical specifications, operation instruction).
2017 – 2020 State Scientific and Technical Center for Nuclear and Radiation Safety (SSTC NRS). Researcher of Operational Safety Analysis Department. Revision/development of the Ukrainian legal and regulatory framework in the field of nuclear and radiation safety for power, research, fuel cycle facilities. Licensing of the state-of-art research nuclear facility Neutron Source ADS (Kharkiv, Ukraine) (from the regulatory side): state reviews for nuclear and radiation safety of the design, safety justification (SAR), and operational documentation; oversight under the commissioning, participation in the testing of the safety-related systems; monitoring and advisory support of the licensing process of Neutron Source. Thermo-hydraulics verification safety studies of Neutron Source using ANSYS CFD. Coordination and implementation EU-funded international projects “Licensing of new nuclear subcritical facility - neutron source based on an electron accelerator-driven subcritical assembly” (UK/TS/49), “Strengthening of SNRIU capabilities in licensing and fuel handling of new Nuclear installations (except NPPs)” (UK/TS/51).
2020 – present time: State Enterprise “State Scientific and Technical Center for Nuclear and Radiation Safety” (SSTC NRS).
Deputy Head of Operational Safety Analysis Department. Revision/development of the Ukrainian legal and regulatory framework in the field of nuclear and radiation safety for power, research, fuel cycle facilities. Performing technical reviews on nuclear and radiation safety of licensee’s documentation (NPPs and research reactors): documents for justification of operational safety, safety upgrades at power units (including post-Fukushima upgrades), operational documentation: technical specifications, instructions, test programs and methodologies. Reviewing national and international regulatory documents establishing safety requirements for NPP and research reactors. Participating in the SNRIU (regulator) oversight activities: tests, inspections and surveys to check the level of operational safety at NPPs and research reactors (within the scope of technical support for the regulatory body inspectors). Managing and contributing to the implementation of the SSTC NRS tasks in international projects related to licensing issues and deployment of new innovative technologies (Small Modular Reactors), analysis of operational events at Ukrainian nuclear installations. Licensing and coordinating the commissioning and physical start-up of the research nuclear facility Neutron Source ADS (Kharkiv, Ukraine) (from the regulatory side): state reviews and technical assessment for nuclear and radiation safety of the operator documentation; oversight under the physical start-up. Developing and conducting lectures and training seminars in the field of analysis of operational safety, description of new regulatory documents, innovative technologies and methods of safety analysis. Supervision in the department activities.

Main activities:
- professional with over 10 years of experience in nuclear and radiation safety;
- knowledge of Ukrainian safety regulations, IAEA Safety Requirements and Guides related to power and research reactor design, operation and safety assessment, EURATOM and WENRA documents;
- extensive knowledge, in the licensing, commissioning and regulatory review of new research and power insstalations, particularly safety assessment of the “Neutron Source” research installation;
- involvement in development and update of Ukrainian regulations and in the area of research and power reactor safety, risk-informed maintenance, assessement of safety upgrade measures;
- regulatory review and assessment of research and power reactor safety;
- active contribution as a training materials developer and a lecturer to a number of national and international training workshops on safety principles and approaches, deterministic safety assessment, licencing aspects of LWR design and operational safety, novel SMR design and their main features, advanced technologies;
- over 10 publications in the field of operational safety of the research and power reactors, participation in scientific workshops and conferences;
- direct involvement in the SSTC NRS activities in the framework of numerous EU INSC, Euratom and IAEA projects.