Ethan Bates

A nuclear and systems engineer, Ethan uniquely dedicated his undergraduate and graduate years at MIT to advancing deep borehole disposal technology. His Ph.D. thesis was the first to integrate thermal, geologic, safety, and economic models to optimize deep borehole disposal and introduced improvements in plug design, canister materials, and emplacement methods. His contributions to the field earned him awards from the Department of Energy (DOE) in 2011 and the American Nuclear Society (ANS) in 2013. After graduation, he spent 6 years as a reactor and systems engineer with successful startups (TerraPower and Oklo) licensing advanced nuclear reactors and establishing himself as an expert on sodium fast reactor design, safety, and product development.