2024 ANS Winter Conference and Expo

Dr. Rian Bahran

Assistant Director for Nuclear Technology and Strategy

The White House Office of Science & Technology Policy (OSTP)

Dr. Rian Bahran currently serves as Assistant Director for Nuclear Technology and Strategy in The White House Office of Science & Technology Policy (OSTP) leading policy development and providing advice to the President and the Executive Office of the President on issues related to nuclear energy and fusion energy, security, and emerging technology. One of his main focus areas has been in helping lead efforts to re-establish U.S. leadership in nuclear energy. This includes prioritizing initiatives to deploy flexible and versatile small modular reactors and microreactors, secure and sustain the nuclear fuel supply chain, enhance the energy resilience of critical infrastructure, and compete globally. Dr. Bahran received a PhD in Nuclear Engineering & Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) based on research in support of the U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program and Laboratory research complex. He also has a Dual BS in Nuclear Engineering & Engineering Physics from RPI and began his career at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). He later served as a program manager and R&D Engineer in the Nuclear Engineering Division at LANL where, in 2018, he was a recipient of the prestigious “Most Promising Asian Engineer of the Year.” Dr. Bahran also served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy as a Senior Science and Policy Adviser from 2019 to 2021. In 2021, For his exemplary performance during his time at the Pentagon, he received the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service. Dr. Bahran has held several adjunct faculty university positions within nuclear engineering programs and has lectured at 25+ universities; was 2020 Fellow of the MIT Seminar XXI national security program; served as an associate editor of the Journal for Nuclear Materials Management; and is the author of 65+ publications (including in Nature Communications) on a wide range of technical nuclear issues.