Biography
Dr. Rian Bahran serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Energy 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. Subsequently, he expanded his service through multiple administrations 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 service at the Department of Defense, he received the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service. Dr. Bahran also served as the Assistant Director for Nuclear Technology & 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.
Education
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Nuclear Science & Engineering 2013
- Bachelor of Science (Dual B.S.), Nuclear Engineering & Engineering Physics 2006
Research Interests
Professional Service
- Office of Nuclear Energy, 2025 – present, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Reactors
- The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, 2021 – 2025, Assistant Director for Nuclear Technology and Strategy
- Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy, 2019 – 2021, Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense, Senior Science & Policy Adviser to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, 2013 – 2019, Senior R&D Nuclear Engineer and Program Manager
- University of New Mexico, 2018 – 2020, Associate Research Professor, Department of Nuclear Engineering
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 2017 – 2020, Adjunct Faculty in Nuclear Engineering, Department of Nuclear Engineering
- Naval Nuclear Laboratory, 2007 – 2013, Graduate Research Assistant, Advanced Naval Nuclear Reactors Program
- General Atomics, Inc., 2006, R&D Intern, Small Modular Reactor Program
Awards
- Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service (2021), the highest civilian award for exemplary performance
- Los Alamos Distinguished Performance Large Team Recipient (2019),“National Criticality Experiment Research Center Measurements”
- Most Promising Asian American Engineer of the Year Award (2018) “developing transformative nuclear technology solutions”
- Department of Energy Joule Award (2018), “Contributing to the development of an analysis tool for the International Atomic Energy Agency”