Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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In this episode I'm interviewing a nuclear energy educator with a series of informative videos on LinkedIn. He works to address radiophobia and provides an evidence-based assessment of nuclear fission and the many polarized debates surrounding its safety. 

Dr. Robert Hayes is an Associate Professor of Nuclear Engineering at North Carolina State University. He holds a joint faculty appointment with Savannah River National Laboratory and serves as an Associate Editor for the journal Radiation Physics and Chemistry.  Dr. Hayes is a licensed Professional Engineer in Nuclear Engineering, a Certified Health Physicist (CHP) through the American Board of Health Physics, and a Fellow of both the Health Physics Society (HPS) and the American Physical Society (APS). He has extensive experience in federal radiological emergency response, serving over a decade at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant for the geological disposal of transuranic waste.

Currently, Dr. Hayes is an advisor to the DOE-NNSA Advisory Committee on Nuclear Security and serves on the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) committee responsible for nuclear engineering licensure. In addition to his academic and research contributions, he is actively engaged in public communication on radiological risk, particularly in the realm of nuclear waste management.