Ha Hoang Bui – Socio-Technical Risk Analysis (SoTeRiA)

Skip to content Ha BuiPhotograph Title Research ScientistDepartment Nuclear, Plasma and Radiological EngineeringBiography

Ha Bui is currently a Research Scientist in the Department of Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering (NPRE). His research focuses on advancing the science and application of Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) for existing Light Water Reactor-based Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) and advanced nuclear reactors through advanced modeling and simulation solutions. Ha contributes to multiple research projects at the Socio-Technical Risk Analysis (SoTeRiA) Research Lab, including a Department of Energy (DOE) Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP) research project on “I-PRA Decision-Making Algorithm and Computational Platform to Develop Safe and Cost-Effective Strategies for the Deployment of New Technologies” (2019-2022), a DOE NEUP project on “Probabilistic Validation and Risk Importance Ranking Methodology for Automation Trustworthiness and Transparency in Nuclear Power Plants” (2021-2024), a DOE-sponsored project on “Fire Risk Importance Ranking Analysis” (2019-2020), and several research projects on “Advancing the I-PRA Methodology for Fire Risk Analysis” (2018-present).

Ha Bui received his Ph.D. from NPRE UIUC under the supervision of Prof. Zahra Mohaghegh. During his Ph.D., he established a theoretical foundation for incorporating time and space into PRA and developed an algorithm to enhance the spatiotemporal resolution in PRAs of NPPs. He also advanced the spatiotemporal modeling of coupled human-physics failure mechanisms to support External Control Room Human Reliability Analysis in PRAs of NPPs. In addition, Ha created a theoretical foundation and a methodological platform for a Probabilistic Validation (PV) methodology that advances the scientific usage of epistemic uncertainty and risk-informed acceptability criteria to facilitate the validity evaluation for simulation predictions, especially when empirical validation data are limited. The PV methodology was computationalized in a Python-based platform, leveraging the Risk Analysis Virtual Environment (RAVEN) toolkit developed by the Idaho National Laboratory, and has been demonstrated in the context of Fire PRA. Ha holds a M.Sc. in Nuclear Power Plant Engineering from KEPCO International Nuclear Graduate School (South Korea; 2014) and a B.E. in Environmental Engineering from Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (Vietnam; 2009).

In addition to his research, Ha has worked full-time for five years and part-time and remotely for seven years at the Power Engineering Consulting Company No. 2 (PECC2) in Vietnam, where he was involved in several power plant development projects. During his Ph.D. and postdoctoral training at NPRE, he also helped prepare funding proposals for research grants from industry, national labs, and federal agencies. He supports PRA education by actively assisting with three PRA-related courses at NPRE (NPRE 461, NPRE 561, and NPRE 200) and mentoring undergraduate and graduate research assistants working with SoTeRiA.

Ha’s current research interests include verification, validation, and uncertainty quantification, human reliability analysis, modeling and simulation of human and physical failure phenomena, Fire PRA, automation trustworthiness and transparency, physical and cyber security risk analysis, and risk-informed decision-making and regulation.

Email habui2@nospam69521f28d6118.illinois.eduOffice 124 Talbot Laboratory

• Congratulations to Dr. John Beal on Successfully Completing His Ph.D.!June 2, 2025

  The SoTeRiA Research Laboratory proudly congratulates Dr. John Beal on successfully completing his Ph.D. requirements in the Department of Nuclear, Plasma & Radiological Engineering (NPRE) at the Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign! Dr. Beal’s research focused on developing a temporal coupling framework that integrates maintenance human performance, physical degradation, and Digital Twin (DT) models for Probabilistic Risk Assessment […]

• SoTeRiA lab is offering NPRE 561 (Advanced Risk Analysis for Technological Systems) in Spring 2025January 10, 2025

  Professor Mohaghegh and the SoTeRiA Research Laboratory offer an advanced PRA course every spring semester for students from multiple departments with diverse backgrounds. This course encompasses the cutting-edge PRA methods developed through state-of-the-art research.

• Congratulations to Dr. Sari Alkhatib for his successful Ph.D. Defense!October 1, 2024

  Congratulations to SoTeRiA graduate student Dr. Sari Alkhatib on successfully completing his Ph.D. requirements in the Department of Nuclear Plasma and Radiological Engineering (NPRE) at the Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)! Sari’s research has focused on advancing methodologies for screening analysis to enhance the strategic use of modeling and simulation […]

• SoTeRiA Lab to Co-Host International Conference on AI and Risk AnalysisSeptember 1, 2023

  The Socio-Technical Risk Analysis (SoTeRiA) Laboratory is set to lead the upcoming International Association for Probabilistic Safety Assessment and Management (IAPSAM) topical conference titled “Artificial Intelligent (AI) & Risk Analysis for Probabilistic Safety/Security Assessment & Management.” This conference will be held virtually on October 23-25, 2023, and will bring together international AI and risk assessment […]

• SoTeRiA Laboratory Receives DOE Grant to Advance Dependency Treatment in Risk Assessment of Existing Plants, Advanced ReactorsJune 26, 2023

  The SoTeRiA Laboratory, in collaboration with Constellation Energy, Idaho National Laboratory, Southern Company, Electric Power Research Institute, and X-Energy, has recently been awarded a $1,000,000 grant by the Department of Energy for the treatment of component dependencies in nuclear reactors. The project titled “Simulation-informed Dependency Treatment to Enhance Operational Flexibility, AvoidProduction Loss, and Maintain Safety […]

• Mohaghegh Appointed to Another National Academies CommitteeFebruary 6, 2023

  SoTeRiA Lab Director and NPRE Associate Professor Zahra Mohaghegh has been selected to serve as a member of the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Committee on “Improving the Efficiency and Effectiveness of the Coast Guard Certificate of Compliance Examination Program for Gas Carriers.” The focus of this committee is to provide solutions […]

• Congratulations to Dr. Wen-Chi Cheng for his successful Ph.D. Defense!January 4, 2023

  Congratulations to SoTeRiA graduate student, Dr. Wen-Chi Cheng, who recently passed his Ph.D. defense! He received his Ph.D. degree from the Department of Nuclear, Plasma and Radiological Engineering, with a specialization in Risk and Reliability analysis. Wen-Chi’s research has focused on Finite Element Based Probabilistic Physics-of-Failure Analysis to Estimate Piping System Failure Rates for Risk Assessment […]

• Congratulations to Research Assistant Professor Tatsuya Sakurahara for receiving the George Apostolakis Fellowship from the International Association for Probabilistic Safety Assessment and Management (IAPSAM)!July 21, 2022

  https://soteria.npre.illinois.edu/files/2022/07/PSAM_Tatsuyas-Fellowship.png This fellowship (https://www.iapsam.org/PSAM16/apostolakis.html) is intended to honor an individual with demonstrated potential to be one of tomorrow’s leaders in the advancement of Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA). The Apostolakis Fellowship honors Prof. George Apostolakis (on the right in the foreground in the above photo) for his contribution to the science of risk analysis as well […]

• Interactions of Safety & Financial Performance in Nuclear Power Plants, DOE NEUP-funded Research @ PSAM 16!June 27, 2022

  The authors of this paper are John Beal, Pegah Farshadmanesh, Tatsuya Sakurahara, Seyed Reihani, Ernie Kee, and Zahra Mohaghegh from the SoTeRiA Lab (https://soteria.npre.illinois.edu) SoTeRiA Lab will virtually present this paper, supported by the DOE Project (https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1817917), at the 16th Probabilistic Safety Assessment & Management (PSAM 16) conference (https://lnkd.in/gHfYZU4d), chaired by Curtis Smith. This will […]

• National Academies’ Panel on Evaluation of the Transport Airplane Risk Assessment Methodology @ PSAM 16 conferenceJune 22, 2022

  In 2021, the National Academies appointed an ad-hoc committee of 12 members to undertake a study to evaluate FAA’s Transport Airplane Risk Assessment Methodology. This panel will discuss the report created by this committee. Moderator: George Ligler (Professor and Dean’s Excellence Chair, Multidisciplinary Engineering, Texas A& M University; member of the National Academy of Engineering) […]

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