Dr. M. J. Plodinec is the Science Advisor of the Savannah River National Laboratory. In this role, he is responsible for fostering strategic partnerships with academia and industry to advance science and technology. Dr. Plodinec was one of the founders and technical leads for the Department of Energy’s Southeastern Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership. One of his primary technical contributions was a determination of the potential value of enhanced carbon capture by forests across the region, and identification of key infrastructure needs for carbon disposition. He has also been active internationally in developing innovative methods to increase energy efficiency.
Dr. Plodinec is also an internationally recognized expert in nuclear and chemical waste management. During his 22+ year involvement with the Department of Energy's Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) - the United States' first and the free world's largest radioactive waste vitrification facility - Dr. Plodinec had an impact on every aspect of the DWPF process, from characterization of the waste to proof testing of the canister closure to ensure leaktightness. His work developing a thermodynamic model for glass durability has had an important impact world-wide. This work has been applied by research groups in several countries, and for applications ranging far beyond nuclear waste, most notably for the health effects of fiber glass.
Dr. Plodinec is the lead for SRNL’s support of the Community and Regional Resilience Initiative, aimed at helping communities to better respond to and recover from catastrophic events, such as natural disasters or terrorist attacks. He is currently leading an effort focused on the resilience of the Charleston community, which has required intense community involvement with city and county governments in the region. He has also led the development of the Resilient Home Program, aimed at cutting the time required to get homeowners back into their homes.