Leonel E. Lagos

Dr. Leonel E. Lagos, is the Director of Research at Florida International University’s Applied Research Center (FIU-ARC) and Principal Investigator of a $24M/5 year Cooperative Agreement between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and FIU in support of DOE’s environmental restoration program. Dr. Lagos is also the founder and Director of the DOE-FIU Science and Technology Workforce Development Program and Department of Defense Cyber Fellows Program. As director of these prestigious signature workforce development programs, Dr. Lagos trains and mentors FIU science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) minority students and provides them with “hands-on” applied research, internships, professional development, and employment opportunities. Dr. Lagos received a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Florida in 1991, a Masters in Mechanical Engineering, and Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Florida International University (FIU) in 1996 and 2007, respectively.

During his tenure at FIU-ARC, Dr. Lagos has developed environmental technologies for the treatment of radiological contaminated surfaces and disposal of nuclear waste. His research has resulted in U.S. and European patents of a Mobile Integrated Piping Decontamination and Characterization System. He has developed and implemented innovative methods for the environmental cleanup of DOE radiological contaminated facilities and conducted over 200 technology demonstrations, evaluations, and deployments at ARC Large Scale Testing Facility, DOE sites, and commercial nuclear facilities. Dr. Lagos has been instrumental in developing the Knowledge Management Information Tool (KM-IT) for capturing, preservation, and dissemination of deactivation and decommissioning (D&D) technologies, lessons learned best practices, and D&D knowledge in general. Dr. Lagos is a world-renowned expert in the area of knowledge management and D&D and has collaborated with international agencies, such as the International Atomic Energy Agency, Nuclear Energy Agency, and UK’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority on the topic.

Dr. Lagos currently provides technical direction and oversees a staff of 18 full-time scientists and engineers performing applied research in support of the DOE-FIU Cooperative Agreement. Dr. Lagos also provides technical support to the Department of Energy’s Headquarters and DOE sites including Savannah River National Laboratory’s (SRNL) In-Situ Decommissioning environmental restoration strategy. Dr. Lagos works closely with SRNL scientists and engineers in the development of experimental procedures and mock-up testing facilities to understand the behavior of innovative cementitious materials and remote sensors for use in situ decommissioning of nuclear reactors and facilities.

Dr. Lagos is an active member of DOE’s Energy Facilities Contractors Group (an advisory group supporting DOE’s environmental restoration mission) and serves as a group member in EFCOG’s D&D and Facility Engineering Working Group. Dr. Lagos also serves as an active Program Advisory Committee (PAC) member for the Waste Management Symposia organization. Dr. Lagos also serves in the Executive Committee for the American Nuclear Society’s Robotics and Remote Systems Division.

Dr. Lagos is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and member of the Project Management Institute and American Nuclear Society (ANS).