Olivia Hand
LEAD PRINCIPAL ENGINEER AT TERRAPOWER
OLIVIA HAND HAS SPENT HER ENTIRE CAREER in nuclear energy, and today she’s working on one of the field’s most closely watched projects: the TerraPower Natrium reactor. The 345-megawatt sodium fast reactor, paired with a molten salt-based energy storage system, is designed to offer a stable, flexible, and emissions-free power source—an approach seen as increasingly important in the push toward decarbonization.
“My specific piece of the puzzle is the intermediate heat exchanger,” which is the component that transfers thermal energy from the sodium coolant heated by the reactor core to a sodium intermediate loop, Hand explained. “I act as the oversight for the component design, analysis, and soon the fabrication and delivery of the component.” Working closely with an external supplier to define technical requirements and review its analysis work, Hand provides the big picture requirements of what the component needs to perform its function for the Natrium design.
“One of my first bosses gave the advice of do your job like you’re going to do it for your whole career. Don’t assume someone else is going to take care of a problem in the future. Own the problem from cradle to grave and do what’s best in the long term.”
—Olivia Hand
When Olivia Hand isn’t working on advanced nuclear systems, you’ll find her skiing, biking, and hiking through the mountains. The challenge? “I just have to find the time to do it,” she said.
Her passion for engineering began with AP chemistry and was reinforced by her father’s career as a Navy engineer. After college, she joined Naval Reactors, contributing to the Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier reactor plant design—which now serves an active role in national security as part of the U.S. Navy fleet. Although she left the project before its first deployment, “it was cool to see it happen from afar.”
Hand also worked on thermal hydraulic analysis for a small modular light water reactor at NuScale prior to her current job. Her contributions helped the company support the first small modular reactor design approved by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. “I’m very proud of that team being able to pull together all the design work necessary to submit a license to the NRC,” she said, adding that NuScale Power was very much a small startup at the time.
Hand believes nuclear’s promise lies in its potential as carbon-free baseload energy, and that persistence from the individual contributor level to the industry level is key to scaling the technology.
Her advice to future generations: “Perseverance is really important in this field,” she said, remembering her struggle with “big fish, small pond syndrome” after moving from a small high school to a large, competitive university. “It was really challenging, but I learned to enjoy the challenge,” Hand said. And in her case, that mindset led from tough coursework to leading a component design on one of the most ambitious nuclear projects in the world.
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