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How did a Faculty of Applied Sciences graduate end up at a US national laboratory dealing with nuclear energy?
In the Czech Republic, I studied a five-year program in Informatics and Computer Technology, specializing in Multimedia Information Systems, essentially artificial intelligence (AI). I dealt with language models in my dissertation, but I concluded that it had no future. I met a classmate and friend who was finishing his thesis at the University of El Paso in Texas. It dealt with developing algorithms for automatic hp-adaptivity for the finite element method under the supervision of Pavel Šolín. His group was looking for skilled programmers, and my friend recommended me. However, this meant enrolling as a student in applied mathematics at an American university. So, I completed my doctorate and studied abroad in a different field.

How did your journey continue?
I studied applied mathematics in El Paso for two years while working on a project led by Pavel Šolín. Then, our research group moved to the University of Nevada in Reno, where we continued to develop algorithms for hp-adaptivity. There, we established contact with a research group from the Idaho National Laboratory (Fuel Modeling and Simulation Department), which was involved in modeling physical processes in light water nuclear reactors using the finite element method and was interested in hp-adaptivity. They offered me a job, which I accepted. That was in 2010.

Can you describe what your work consisted of?
At INL, I worked in a group led by Richard Martineau, which, among other things, was involved in the development of a simulation environment called MOOSE (Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment – the project is now open source and available on GitHub). The project aimed to create an environment for modeling and simulating individual phenomena in nuclear reactors. Such an environment must be easy to use, as it must be worked with by nuclear, mechanical, and materials engineers who are not necessarily experts in numerical mathematics, parallel computing, software development, etc. So, as a team, we developed a system where models describing the physical processes in nuclear reactors can be implemented relatively easily. Initially, individual phenomena were modeled separately, but in 2014, we reached a stage where individual solvers could exchange information with each other, which allowed us to model the core of the entire reactor completely. Until then, no one could do this in high resolution. We demonstrated this on Westinghouse's AP1000 light water pressure reactor. In the same year, the MOOSE project won the R&D 100 award.

This type of work certainly involves strict security measures.
Yes. Every employee must be trained to protect individual pieces of information and prevent their leakage. Of course, not everyone has access to all the information. For example, security clearances are required for specific projects. However, as a foreigner, I did not have these. And, of course, the laboratory has a department that deals purely with counter-espionage activities. That was an unusual aspect of my work.

What was the national composition of the team you worked in?
Americans predominated. I was the only foreigner on the team working on the development of MOOSE until about 2016. For example, the other teams we worked closely with included colleagues from Poland, Italy, Spain, Germany, and China.

You left the laboratory in 2022. Where did your career take you next?
I joined Sawtooth Simulation, LLC, where we are working on modeling new concepts for advanced nuclear reactors. This issue has valuable applications in nuclear power plants and space research, where nuclear reactors can be used to power spacecraft, which is of interest to NASA. Nuclear propulsion should shorten the journey from Earth to Mars to about three months (estimates vary). For comparison, using conventional methods, the flight takes about nine months.

What was 25-year-old David Andrš's vision of his future?
After graduating from college, I thought I would work for a company that programs databases for information systems in the Czech Republic. I didn't know about going abroad at all. It all started because I liked my friend's work in El Paso and wanted to try something new. I never imagined that I could end up at a national research laboratory.

Are you planning to return to the Czech Republic in the future?
I don't have any specific plans. Skilled programmers are needed all over the world. I went to America for two years and then returned to the Czech Republic. And look, it's been almost 20 years now.