Pictured (L-R): Travis Knight, Kallie Metzger, Elwyn Roberts

Despite recently celebrating his 90th birthday this past August, Research Associate Elwyn Roberts continues to serve as a valuable consultant in both industry and academia. Roberts has been a fixture in the Department of Mechanical Engineering since 1997, when he became an adjunct faculty member after a 30-year career as manager in nuclear fuel design at Westinghouse.

The native of the United Kingdom completed his Ph.D. at the University of Sheffield, which is well-known in the country for its metallurgy, a field of materials science and engineering. Roberts was teaching nuclear materials and physical metallurgy at the University of Liverpool when his work caught the attention of a Westinghouse nuclear fuel division engineering manager in 1966. He became a consultant for the company and accepted a management position in 1967.

“I was ready for new pastures,” Roberts says. “I had at that time a lot of experience in the nuclear industry, having worked for four years in the laboratory adjacent to the first commercial nuclear power station in the United Kingdom prior to my appointment at the University of Liverpool.”

Over the next 30 years at Westinghouse, Roberts held 20 different management positions covering nearly every aspect of nuclear fuel design and manufacture. One of his contributions in his early years was simultaneously solving both fuel densification and cladding collapse issues, as well as a significant manufacturing problem at the new Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility. As a result of this work, he was named outstanding manager of the year in the power system division in 1974.

Dr. Roberts’ deep knowledge of materials engineering, combined with his generosity in sharing it, has made him an enduring asset to the college.

- Travis Knight

Among many other awards, Roberts was awarded the Nuclear Fuels Division General Manager’s Business Innovation Award in 1990. In 1993, he and his team received a George Westinghouse Signature Award of Excellence for developing a new design and associated manufacturing process.

While Roberts received numerous accolades and was granted five patents on nuclear fuel design during his years at Westinghouse, he is most proud of his relationship with peers in the nuclear industry.

“I was the Westinghouse representative on nuclear fuel performance in international meetings for a number of years and was voted by my peers to be chair of various committees over a significant time frame,” Roberts says.

In 1997, Roberts retired from Westinghouse and became a professor at the University of South Carolina, where he taught courses in senior design, design for manufacturing, physical metallurgy, sustainable energy and nuclear materials. Of the seven courses he taught during more than 25 years on the faculty, he redeveloped four and introduced three new graduate level courses. Two of his required Capstone undergraduate courses nearly doubled in size over the 10 years he taught them.

Roberts also assisted in the formation of the nuclear engineering graduate program and chaired the steering committee of “A Program of Graduate Education in Engineering,” which built on the university’s distance education program to offer students the option to participate in online graduate engineering courses. He is regarded by many as a valuable mentor to students and fellow faculty, sharing insights gained from decades of experience in fuel development.

“It has been my privilege to learn from Dr. Roberts and enjoy his friendship for many years,” says Department of Mechanical Engineering Chair and Professor Travis Knight. “When I first joined the college, I was admittedly intimidated by his depth of experience, but he was generous in sharing his knowledge of nuclear fuels and materials. His career reaches back to the early days of commercial nuclear power in both the United Kingdom and United States, and the lessons he brings from that history are invaluable for students entering the field today.”

The role of teacher was another great source of pride for Roberts.

“I was told by a senior manager at Westinghouse a number of years ago that I was the best person he knew who could take a complicated subject and make it understandable for all,” Roberts says. “I believe I was a good instructor because in many ways I felt I was the student myself, trying to learn and understand a topic.”

Alum Kallie Metzger, eVinci Fuel Director for Westinghouse, met Roberts in 2012 when he served as her technical advisor in USC’s nuclear engineering graduate program. She recalls his engaged, hands-on approach as well as his tough tutelage.

“If you can answer an Elwyn question, or present to him and make it through his line of questioning, no one else will stop you,” Metzger says. “He’s an incredibly hard worker himself and expects that out of anyone who works with him. You don’t want to disappoint him.”

After her earning her Ph.D., Metzger left academia for roles in national laboratories, but she remained in touch with Roberts. After accepting a role at Westinghouse as lead of advanced fuels development in 2018, they met for lunch and discussed various technical challenges. Metzger saw an opportunity to work alongside her mentor once again, and Roberts rejoined Westinghouse as a consultant, a role he still holds today. While they now serve on different teams, Metzger describes her relationship with her mentor as coming full circle.

“Dr. Roberts was on the battleground for materials challenges when the nuclear power industry was first taking off, and he has so much historical knowledge of why we do what we do,” Metzger says. “It’s incredibly beneficial to have him as a mentor to junior engineers.”

Even at an age when most people are well past their retirement, Roberts continues to consult with Westinghouse. He is also in regular contact with Knight and continues to mentor students and serve on dissertation committees. Whether wearing the hat of consultant, teacher, peer or mentor, his input and expertise are widely valued.

“Dr. Roberts’ deep knowledge of materials engineering, combined with his generosity in sharing it, has made him an enduring asset to the college,” Knight says.