1. Ronald J Livesay, PhD
1519 Fremont Place mobile: 865.771.8132
Knoxville, TN 37917 jake@masonlivesay.com
Admissions & Education
Department of Energy Basic Instructor Training Feb 2015
Department of Energy Q-Clearance Mar 2008
Colorado School of Mines May 2007
Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Physics
University of Texas at Arlington Dec 1999
Bachelor of Science in Physics
Areas of Technical Knowledge
Experience
Mason Livesay Scientific, LLC Oct 2012 – Present
Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer
 Algorithm development and automation of data analysis for DOE’s Second Line of Defense
 Analysis of performance characteristics of Mobile Detection Systems
 Ongoing research of degradation mechanisms in the widely used plastic scintillator, PVT
 Responsible for new business development and technical portfolio of MLS.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory May 2012 – Oct 2012
Energy and Environmental Sciences Division / Measurement Science
R&D Staff Member
 Radiation/Nuclear Subject Matter Expert at ORNL’s Technical Testing and Analysis Center
 Lead testing campaigns for various DOD agencies (e.g. DTRA, DNDO).
 Interfaced directly with system developers, equipment vendors, and government sponsors
Oak Ridge National Laboratory Apr 2008 – May 2012
Global Nuclear Security Technology Division / Safeguards and Security
R&D Staff Member
 Awarded NA-243 funding for an “Electro-Conductive Fabric Seal”. ORNL is applying for a
non-provisional patent for this invention.
 Directed an outdoor test-bed from conceptual design to implementation, for the direct study
of correlations between weather variables and natural radioactive background.
 Conceived, developed and patented a technique for analyzing samples of building materials for
the large-scale prediction of effects on natural radioactive background (US Patent 8,704,183).
 Lab-based radiation
measurement
 First principles radiation
flux modeling
 Experimental
conceptualization
 Environmental radiation
measurement
 Data Analysis (emphasis on
large data sets)
 Vacuum system
design & fabrication
 Monte Carlo /
programming techniques
 Design of semi-automatic
data analyses
 Course preparation
and training

2.  Developed data analysis routines and basic physics training materials for ongoing training of
DOE and government laboratory employees (LANL, Sandia, PNNL).
 Recognized and sought-after presenter and lecturer, capable of distilling complex technical
subjects into elements suitable for a wide audience.
 Developed an innovative solution to address an ongoing x-ray interference problem within the
tight operational constraints in a foreign airport.
Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Jan 2007 – Apr 2008
Postdoctoral Researcher
 Developed remediation solutions to high backgrounds in radiation portal monitors, including a
Monte Carlo code for the calculation of intricate geometric quantities.
 Participated in the conceptualization and development of batch-mode, data analysis tools to
handle continuous data collection from approximately 20 countries (deployed in early 2008).
 Participated in the conceptualization and development of a mobile version of the ORNL
batch-mode data analysis tool (deployed in early 2009).
Oak Ridge National Laboratory - Nuclear Astrophysics Group May 2002 – Jan 2007
Physics Department – Colorado School of Mines
Graduate Research Assistant
 Participated in many accelerator-based nuclear physics experiments (at ORNL as well as other
labs), with members of various institutions, both academic and government.
 Worked hands-on in fundamental areas of scientific research, including: equipment fabrication,
experimental setup and multi-dimensional data analysis.
 Thesis Title “Inelastic and Elastic Scattering of Hydrogen from Radioactive Beryllium-7”.
Selected Publications
 Rain-induced increase in background radiation detected by Radiation Portal Monitors, R.J.
Livesay et al, Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 137, 137-141, 2014
 Design of a New Collimation System to Prevent Interference Between X-ray machines and
Radiation Portal Monitors, T.F. Guzzardo and R.J. Livesay, Conference Proceeding,
International Nuclear Materials Management, 2012
 Rain-induced Increase in Background Radiation Detected by Radiation Portal Monitors, R.J.
Livesay, et al, ORNL/TM-2012/229.
 Lab-Based Measurement of Remediation Techniques for Radiation Portal Monitors, R.J.
Livesay, et al, ORNL/TM-2012/5.
 The magic nature of 132Sn explored through the single-particle states of 133Sn, K.L. Jones, et
al, Nature (Letters), 2010.
Awards
 US Patent US 9,093,186, “Adaptors for Radiation Detectors”, issued July 28, 2015
 US Patent US 8,704,183, “Adaptors for Radiation Detectors”, issued April 22, 2014
 Jack Marquis Scholarship Award “for service and academic accomplishments”, 1999, Physics
Department, University of Texas at Arlington.
 Keith W Thompkins Memorial Scholarship Award “based on both scholarship and
participation in the department”, 1998, Physics Department, University of Texas at Arlington.