leave from the University of Wisconsin. Previously, he was a professor in the Department of Engineering Physics at the University of Wisconsin, a position held from 2003 through 2018. In addition to his teaching and research responsibilities at Wisconsin, he was also the scientific director of the Advanced Test Reactor National Scientific User Facility, centered in Idaho Falls, Idaho, at INL. He held that position from 2008 to 2012. He was also the director of the Center for Material Science of Nuclear Fuel, a Department of Energy (DOE)-sponsored Energy Frontier Research Center. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Wisconsin, he was a nuclear engineer at Argonne National Laboratory-West in Idaho Falls. His doctoral degree is in nuclear engineering from the University of Michigan (1997). Prior to graduate work, he was an officer in the U.S. Navy Nuclear Power Program.

JAQUELIN COCHRAN is the director of the Grid Planning and Analysis Center at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), where she has worked since 2009. Dr. Cochran’s work has focused on the evolution of the power grid with high deployment of renewable energy. She recently led the Los Angeles 100% Renewable Energy Study and a portfolio of analyses about India’s power system. Before joining NREL, Dr. Cochran was an assistant professor of natural resource management with KIMEP University in Almaty, Kazakhstan. She also served as a Peace Corps volunteer for 2 years with the Polish Foundation for Energy Efficiency in Krakow. She holds a PhD and an MA from the Energy and Resources Group at the University of California, Berkeley, and a BA from Pomona College.

MICHAEL L. CORRADINI is an emeritus Wisconsin Distinguished Professor of Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Dr. Corradini served from 1995 to 2001 as the associate dean for the College of Engineering and as the chair of engineering physics from 2001 to 2011. He has published widely in areas related to vapor explosion phenomena, jet spray dynamics, and transport phenomena in multiphase systems. From 1978 to 1981, he served as a member of the technical staff of Sandia National Laboratories. In 1998, he was elected to the NAE. He has also served as a presidential appointee in 2002 and 2003 as the chair of the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (a separate government agency). From 2004 to 2008, he served as a board member of the INPO National Accreditation Board for Nuclear Training. In 2006, he was appointed to the NRC Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards and was elected to the National Council on Radiation Protection. In 2010, he was appointed the chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee to the French Atomic Energy Agency. He began and served as the director of the Wisconsin Energy Institute. He was elected as the president of the American Nuclear Society (2012–2013). Dr. Corradini received his BS in mechanical engineering from Marquette University, Milwaukee; his MS in nuclear engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); and his PhD in nuclear engineering from MIT.

RICHARD CUPITT is a senior fellow and the director of the Partnerships in Proliferation Prevention program at Stimson. Dr. Cupitt’s areas of expertise include weapons of mass destruction (WMD) nonproliferation, export controls, and foreign policy. Prior to joining Stimson, he served as the special coordinator for the United Nations (UN) Security Council resolution 1540 in the Office of Counterproliferation Initiatives at the Department of State from 2012 through 2016. As such, he led U.S. government efforts to further implementation of the over 200 legally binding obligations and recommendations of the resolution, which aims to combat the proliferation of WMDs and their means of delivery, especially to non-state actors such as terrorists and criminal organizations. From 2005 to 2012, Dr. Cupitt worked as an expert for the committee established pursuant to the UN Security Council resolution 1540 (2004), a subsidiary body of the UN Security Council, monitoring and facilitating implementation of the resolution in all UN Member States, along with building relationships with over 40 international organizations, coordinating assistance activities, and conducting outreach with industry and academia. Elected coordinator of the experts from 2010–2012, he also led the work in several specialized areas, including combating the financing of proliferation and export controls. From 2004 to 2008, Dr. Cupitt also held a position as the scholar-in-residence at American University and worked as a special adviser for International Cooperation for the U.S. Undersecretary of Commerce in the Bureau of Industry and Security (2002–2004). From 1988 to 2002, Dr. Cupitt had various posts for the Center International Trade and Security of the University of Georgia, including associate director, as well

as acting as a visiting scholar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (2000–2002). Dr. Cupitt also has held academic positions at Emory University and the University of North Texas. He has produced four books and more than 20 peer-reviewed articles on nonproliferation export controls, along with dozens of other security or trade-oriented publications. In addition, he has served as a consultant on projects for the Department of State, several U.S. national commissions, U.S. national nuclear laboratories, and various international organizations.

LESLIE DEWAN is the chief executive officer (CEO) of RadiantNano, a nuclear startup developing next-generation radiation detectors with applications in national security, clean energy production, and medical diagnostics. From 2011 to 2018, Dr. Dewan was the CEO of Transatomic Power, a company that designed safer nuclear reactors that leave behind less waste than conventional designs. Dr. Dewan received her PhD in nuclear engineering from MIT, with a research focus on computational nuclear materials. She also holds SB degrees from MIT in mechanical engineering and nuclear engineering. Before starting her PhD, she worked for a robotics company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she designed search-and-rescue robots and equipment for in-field identification of chemical and nuclear weapons. Dr. Dewan has been awarded an MIT Presidential Fellowship and a DOE Computational Science Graduate Fellowship. She has served on the MIT Corporation, MIT’s board of trustees. She was named a TIME Magazine “30 People Under 30 Changing the World,” an MIT Technology Review “Innovator Under 35,” a Forbes “30 Under 30,” a National Geographic Explorer, and a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader.

HEATHER FELDMAN is the director of innovation in the Nuclear Sector at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). Dr. Feldman leads a team that conducts applied research and development (R&D) to overcome barriers for modernizing and maximizing the utilization of the existing nuclear fleet and for deploying advanced reactors. She is also leading EPRI’s initiative on artificial intelligence. She serves on the INL Nuclear Science and Technology Strategic Advisory Committee, as well as the board of directors for E4 Carolinas. Prior to her current role, Dr. Feldman was the director of plant support and led an expert team that develops new or enhanced technologies and processes for inspection and repair, aging management, and flexible operations of nuclear power plants. She previously led and managed the Engineering Programs area and worked in the Steam Generator Management Program and the Office of Innovation. Before joining EPRI, Dr. Feldman worked for United Space Alliance, where she coordinated systems engineering and integration work in the thermal area of the Space Shuttle Program. Her work contributed to the successful Return-to-Flight mission after the Columbia accident. Dr. Feldman holds a BS, MS, and a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Clemson University. She is currently pursuing an MBA from Wake Forest University.

MICHAEL FORD is the associate laboratory director for engineering at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL). In this role, Dr. Ford leads the pursuit of PPPL’s mission to develop advanced fusion engineering knowledge and techniques and is responsible for all engineering support throughout the laboratory. Prior to assuming his position at PPPL, Dr. Ford served as the strategy development director for the Energy and Global Security Directorate at the Argonne National Laboratory. At Argonne, he helped develop strategies designed to build increased sponsor support for energy and national security related research. Dr. Ford remains active in energy, engineering risk, and environmental policy research, and led Phase I of the National Demonstration Reactor Siting Study supporting the National Reactor Innovation Center. Prior to his work in the National Laboratories system, Dr. Ford held research positions at the Harvard University Center for the Environment and at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School. He earned his PhD in engineering and public policy at CMU, where he conducted research in energy and the environment, with a focus on advanced reactor technology development and proliferation risk. Dr. Ford also served a full career as an officer in the U.S. Navy and held Navy subspecialties in nuclear engineering, resource management, and operations analysis. During his time on active duty, CAPT (Ret) Ford commanded the guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill (CG 52) and the guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin (DDG 89) and served as lead nuclear engineer (Reactor Officer) aboard USS Nimitz (CVN 68). Ashore, he held senior finance and resource management positions on the U.S. Navy and U.S. Joint Staffs at the Pentagon. In these positions, he developed standards for new warfare systems development and helped lead the Navy Quadrennial Defense Review process.

University, and Harvard University, and has been on the faculty at Georgia Tech in Earth science and international affairs, at George Mason University in environmental science and policy, and in the Elliott School of International Affairs at The George Washington University. From 2010 to 2012, Dr. Macfarlane served on the White House Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future, created by the Obama administration to recommend a new national policy on high-level nuclear waste. She has also served on National Academies’ panels on nuclear energy and nuclear weapons issues. Dr. Macfarlane chaired the Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, the group that sets the Bulletin’s famous “doomsday clock.” She co-edited Uncertainty Underground: Yucca Mountain and the Nation’s High-Level Nuclear Waste (2006). Dr. Macfarlane has published extensively in Science, Nature, Environmental Science and Technology, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, and other journals. Her research has focused on technical, social, and policy aspects of nuclear energy production and nuclear waste management and disposal as well as regulation, nuclear nonproliferation, and energy policy.

DAVID K. OWENS served as the executive vice president of the Business Operations Group and Regulatory Affairs at Edison Electric Institute from October 1992 to June 2017. An executive with extensive experience in public policies concerning energy and utility operations, Mr. Owens is recognized as an industry expert on business transformation. After 36 years of service, he retired from the Edison Electric Institute, the association representing all U.S. investor-owned electric companies. Mr. Owens was the first African American to hold an officer title with the organization. He guided the association on issues affecting the future structure of the electric industry and the new rules in evolving competitive markets. Mr. Owens also spearheaded efforts to invest in the nation’s electric infrastructure with new technology enhancing energy efficiency with smart buildings, smart meters, and smart grids. He served as the chief engineer for the Division of Rates and Corporate Regulation with the Securities and Exchange Commission, where he actively participated in landmark proceedings involving utility mergers, electric integration issues and utility financial disclosure. A driving force behind the founding of the American Association of Blacks in Energy, Mr. Owens has mentored generations of young men in careers in energy. He also served as a director of Xcel Energy Inc. from August 2017 until June 2021. On December 21, 2018, Mr. Owens was nominated to be an independent director of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority. He served as the vice chair until August 2022. Mr. Owens is a recognized expert in the energy field and has been a leader in shaping constructive public policy frameworks to support the industry’s transition to new and cleaner technologies. He served on boards of the National Academies and chaired the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Smart Grid Advisory Committee. Mr. Owens is a graduate of Howard University with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering, as well as a master’s degree in engineering administration from The George Washington University.

JAMES A. RISPOLI, a licensed professional engineer, is a professor of practice at North Carolina State University. Mr. Rispoli served as a career senior executive at DOE, and while the director of the Office of Engineering and Construction Management, was invited by the Secretary to forego career status to accept a Presidential appointment. Thus, he served as an Assistant Secretary of Energy from 2005 through 2008, nominated by the President and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Mr. Rispoli previously completed 27 years of service in the U.S. Navy, retiring as a Captain, Civil Engineer Corps. Subsequently, he was managing principal for an ENR top-tier engineering firm and the regional president of another top-tier engineering firm in Hawaii, where his practice included multi-disciplinary engineering, environmental planning and engineering, and construction management. Mr. Rispoli left the private sector to join DOE’s new Office of Engineering and Construction Management in 1999. Articles and papers written by him on various subjects in engineering and leadership have been published, including seven published in either an edited book, or a refereed journal; and he has lectured extensively domestically and internationally in Japan, China, Singapore, Italy, and the United Kingdom. Mr. Rispoli serves on DOE’s Environmental Management Advisory Board. He earned his BE in civil engineering from Manhattan College, an MS in civil engineering from the University of New Hampshire, and a master’s degree in business from Central Michigan University. Mr. Rispoli is a distinguished member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, a member of the National Academy of Construction, and a Board Certified Environmental Engineer (National Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists). He is a member of two permanent boards/committees of the National Academies and is the chair of one of them. Mr. Rispoli also recently served on a study committee of the National

Academies’ Nuclear and Radiation Studies Board. He developed and teaches two graduate engineering courses at North Carolina State University and initiated a curriculum for a graduate engineering concentration in facilities engineering, which the College of Engineering has since implemented.

RACHEL SLAYBAUGH is currently a partner at DCVC. While serving on the committee, she was an associate professor of nuclear engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Slaybaugh researched computational methods applied to nuclear reactors, nuclear non-proliferation and security, and shielding. She also served as a program director at DOE’s ARPA-E. Dr. Slaybaugh was also a senior fellow at the Breakthrough Institute, was a faculty affiliate at the Berkeley Institute of Data Science, and served on several advisory committees. Her Rickover Fellowship took Dr. Slaybaugh to Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory before joining Berkeley. She received a BS in nuclear engineering from The Pennsylvania State University, where she served as a licensed nuclear reactor operator, and an MS and a PhD from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in nuclear engineering.

SOLA TALABI is a principal with Pittsburgh Technical, which is a nuclear consulting firm that specializes in advanced reactor design and deployment. He is also an adjunct professor of nuclear engineering at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Michigan. Dr. Talabi’s experience includes design, numerical computational analysis, manufacturing, installation and testing of nuclear power plant components, and serving as the risk manager at Westinghouse Electric Company, where he was responsible for risk awareness, assessment, and response for advanced reactors, including AP1000 and SMR. Dr. Talabi received the following degrees from CMU: MBA, PhD (engineering and public policy), and MSc (mechanical engineering). He received his BSc in engineering from University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Talabi is also a certified risk manager.

STEVEN ZINKLE is the Governor’s Chair Professor for Nuclear Materials in the Department of Nuclear Engineering and Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Tennessee, Dr. Zinkle was the chief scientist for Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s (ORNL’s) Nuclear Science and Engineering Directorate and director of ORNL’s Materials Science and Technology Division. He also served as the director of ORNL’s Metals and Ceramics Division, which merged into the Materials Science and Technology Division. Much of his research has utilized materials science to explore fundamental physical phenomena that are important for advanced nuclear energy applications, focusing on microstructure-property relationships. Dr. Zinkle’s research interests include the investigation of deformation and fracture mechanisms in structural materials, physical metallurgy of structural materials, and the investigation of radiation effects in ceramics, fuel systems, and metallic alloys for fusion and fission energy systems. He has written over 300 peer-reviewed publications and is a member of the National Academies’ National Materials and Manufacturing Board. He is a fellow of seven professional societies, including the American Nuclear Society, The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society, ASM International, the Materials Research Society, and the American Physical Society. Dr. Zinkle received a BS and an MS in nuclear engineering, an MS in materials science, and a PhD in nuclear engineering, all from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.