Dr. Rian Bahran is currently the Assistant Director for Nuclear Technology and Strategy in The White House Office of Science & Technology Policy (OSTP) where he is on assignment from Los Alamos National Laboratory through the Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) Program. 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. He also has a Dual BS in Nuclear Engineering & Engineering Physics from the same university. At OSTP, he has been leading policy development on issues related to fission 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 began his career as a postdoc at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and later served as a program manager and R&D Engineer in the Nuclear Engineering & Nonproliferation 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 Under Secretary of Defense for Policy as a Senior Science & Policy Adviser from 2019 to 2021. For his exemplary performance during his time at the Pentagon, he received the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service. Dr Bahran is an adjunct professor at the University of Michigan 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 on a wide range of technical nuclear issues.