Path to Criticality

March 31, 2026|3:30–4:30PM (4:30–5:30PM EDT)

Available to All Users

ANS presents a panel discussion featuring some of the most prominent figures in the nuclear industry's push to criticality.

A renewed fervor around the testing and piloting of new nuclear technologies has been sweeping the nation and fresh as well as experienced developers are stepping up to the challenges. As many of these companies race to hit ambitious testing goals, such as the President's July 4, 2026 criticality goal, experiments and demonstrations only continue to accelerate. Companies, alongside partners in the federal government, are hoping these testing activities can lead to true commercial success in the coming years, but certainly requires important lab, testing, and scaling activities today.

Panelists

Yasir Arafat, CTO, Aalo
Rita Baranwal, Chief Nuclear Officer, Radiant
Jordan Bramble, CEO and Co-Founder, Antares
Nader Satvat, Director, Nuclear Systems Design, Kairos Power
Nicholas Thompson, Engineer, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Brad Tomer, Director, National Reactor Innovation Center, Idaho National Laboratory