Nikolaos Simos Named Senior Scientist Emeritus
September 7, 2017
Emeritus status was granted to Nikolaos Simos as a member of the Collider-Accelerator Department on June 7. The emeritus position at Brookhaven Lab was established to recognize retired scientists who have made particularly noteworthy contributions to the Laboratory's reputation as a world-class scientific institution.
Simos joined Brookhaven Lab's Nuclear Energy Department in February 1989 for research on the safety of nuclear reactors, after earning a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the City College of the City University of New York and completing a post-doctoral study at the Earthquake Research Center of the City University of New York. With promotions to associate scientist in 1990, scientist in 1993, and mechanical engineer in 1994, he later focused research on structural analysis of accelerator-based systems, which benefited the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. His research on advanced materials in high radiation environments led to advanced target designs for use in accelerator-based experiments, including the Long Baseline Neutrino Experiment.
Simos made major contributions to the structural design of the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II), using advanced modeling tools to develop design solutions for varied applications ranging from vibration effects of wind, vehicle traffic, and machinery in various structures to the impacts of daily variation of sunlight on the thermal stability in the accelerator or beamline end-stations. For this work, Simos was presented with an Engineering Award in 2011—one of the highest accolades given by Brookhaven to employees. He was named senior mechanical engineer the same year.
Simos is author or co-author on more than 100 publications, mainly dealing with his research on seismic response on nuclear structures, novel materials for next generation nuclear reactors, and materials for accelerator systems and experiments.
In a congratulatory letter to Simos, Lab Director Doon Gibbs wrote: "Emeritus status is being granted to you…based on your research and leadership in radiation damage studies of novel materials by intense proton beams for high power accelerator targets and collimators. During your 28-year career at BNL, your research on structural analysis of advanced materials in high radiation environments has led to improved beam target and collimators at facilities around the world. Your engineering expertise was also critical to the structural design of the NSLS-Il."
Simos said, "My tenure at Brookhaven has been a wonderful journey that provided me the opportunity to interact with numerous scientists and satisfy my curiosity in many scientific fields. Most satisfying has been the interaction with young scientists, interns, and students that saw Brookhaven as a unique place to learn or build their scientific careers."
Meet 12 other scientists who have received emeritus status
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