Radiant has appointed former Department of Energy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy Rita Baranwal as its first-ever chief nuclear officer on June 3.
The El Segundo, Calif. based nuclear startup company adds Baranwal to its executive team subsequently after it closed off a $165 million Series C funding round on May 28 and was selected by the Department of Energy to receive nuclear fuel for its Kaleidos microreactor first test on April 10.
Raidant was one of five companies to receive high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) for advanced nuclear projects.
Baranwal recently served in two executive roles at Westinghouse. She served as senior vice president of Westinghouse’s AP300 Small Modular Reactor program and previously served as its chief technology officer.
Baranwal also served as the assistant secretary for Nuclear Energy at the DOE during Donald Trump’s first presidential term.
Baranwal holds a Bachelor of Science in Materials Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and earned her doctorate degree in Materials Engineering from the University of Michigan.
“Rita’s experience and leadership will be key to achieve our milestone of turning on the first new reactor design in the U.S. in more than five decades, and success in our mission,” Radiant CEO Doug Bernauer said in its June 3 press release.
Radiant seeks to develop portable microreactors as an alternative to diesel generators.
