Archana obtained an integrated Masters (MEng) in Materials Science with a specialisation in Nuclear Engineering from Imperial College London in 2023. She joined the NFI in September 2023 to start her PhD in the Reactor Design and Thermal Hydraulics group under the supervision of Dr. Walter Villanueva. Her project is sponsored and jointly supervised by the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA).

Archana’s research looks at a hybrid experimental and computational approach to investigate magnetohydrodynamic interactions in liquid metals. The initial phase of her PhD has involved designing and building a saltwater MHD test rig to conduct parametric benchtop experiments to transfer to liquid metal experiments. She is currently on an industrial placement at UKAEA’s Fusion Technology Facility in Rotherham conducting MHD liquid metal experiments and running CFD simulations on ANSYS to validate experimental results. Archana is also actively involved in NFI Outreach and has helped organise and host various events over the past 2 years.