Dr. Rian Bahran serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Reactors overseeing a comprehensive portfolio that includes research, development, and deployment of advanced nuclear reactors as well as cutting-edge technologies that underpin the technical and economic sustainability of the nation’s current commercial nuclear fleet.
A career member of the Senior Executive Service, Dr. Bahran began his career at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where he spent over a decade as an experimentalist and as a program manager. He later served as a senior advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, providing strategic guidance on nuclear issues, energy, homeland defense and resilience, among other critical national security matters. For his exemplary performance, he received the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service. Dr. Bahran also served as the assistant director for nuclear technology and strategy in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, leading policy development on issues related to nuclear fission and fusion energy, national security, and emerging technology to enhance resilience and bolster global competitiveness.
He holds a doctor of philosophy degree in nuclear science and engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, New York, where his doctoral research was funded by the U.S. Naval Reactors in support of the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory Advanced Reactor Program. He also earned a dual B.S. in nuclear engineering and engineering physics from RPI.