About

A serial entrepreneur at the forefront of nuclear energy and environmental innovation, Liz is the cof-founder and CEO of Deep Fission. Previously, she co-founded and served as CEO of Deep Isolation, a pioneering nuclear waste disposal company, where she is now Board Chair. Liz also co-founded Berkeley Earth, a nonprofit providing critical data science on climate change.

A named inventor on multiple patents, Liz was recognized as a Clean Energy Rising Star by Business Insider in 2020. Beyond her professional achievements, she is a published author, backpacker, dance instructor, and proud mother of two, based in the Bay Area.

Liz holds a Bachelor of Mathematics from UC San Diego and an MBA from ESCP Business School in Paris.

Rich is co-founder and CTO of Deep Fission, and co-founder of Deep Isolation, a nuclear waste disposal company. He is also a Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of California, Berkeley. A prolific inventor with over 80 issued patents, Rich has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific articles, including key work on the safety of deeply buried nuclear waste.

His groundbreaking research has earned him numerous awards, including the MacArthur “Genius” Prize, the National Science Foundation’s Alan T. Waterman Award, and the Breakthrough Prize. He is also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In addition to his research, Rich has received multiple teaching awards and written ten books, including Physics for Future Presidents and Energy for Future Presidents. He was recognized as one of Time’s “People Who Mattered” in 2011.

Rich holds a B.A. in Physics from Columbia University and a Ph.D. in Physics from UC Berkeley. He also served as a national security advisor to the U.S. government for over three decades.

Mike Brasel is a seasoned leader in the nuclear industry with nearly three decades of experience spanning nuclear, fossil, and renewable energy sectors. As VP of Nuclear Programs, he is spearheading the development of Deep Fission’s engineering organization, leveraging his deep expertise in strategic planning, project management, regulatory compliance, and supply chain development.

Prior to joining Deep Fission, Mike held key leadership roles at NuScale Power, where he managed multi-billion-dollar nuclear projects, led supply chain development for first-of-a-kind nuclear technologies, and directed regulatory affairs. Most recently, he served as Senior Project Director for the Carbon Free Power Project, overseeing reactor pressure vessel manufacturing, licensing applications, and large-scale capital project planning.

Mike’s career also includes leadership positions at Dairyland Power Cooperative, where he served as Plant Manager of the La Crosse Boiling Water Reactor, directing decommissioning efforts and nuclear regulatory compliance. His background as a U.S. Navy Nuclear Plant Operator further solidifies his expertise in reactor operations and maintenance.

Beyond his corporate roles, Mike is actively involved in industry leadership, serving on multiple Boards of Directors, including Great River Energy and Lake Region Electric Cooperative. He holds an MBA from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Old Dominion University, and has completed executive education at Kellogg School of Business, Northwestern University.

With a proven track record of scaling growth-oriented companies and preparing them for public company reporting, Mark brings more than 40 years of global finance leadership experience across the energy technology, automotive, life safety, banking, and manufacturing sectors. He has served as CFO for leading companies, including Goodyear, Itron, Plug Power, and Alghanim Industries, and has held senior finance positions in China, Brazil, the U.K., and the Middle East.

Mark is dedicated to the advancement of nuclear energy as part of the global solution to improve human quality of life and reduce harm to the planet caused by pollution.

He has over forty years of experience in the nuclear industry including design, construction, commissioning, engineering, operations, cleanup, and decommissioning. Mark has held key engineering and project management leadership roles at Kairos Power, NuScale Power, Fluor, Los Alamos, and the US DOE’s Hanford K Basins Spent Nuclear Fuel and Liquid Waste Treatment facilities.  Mark started his career as a Reactor Operator at the Fast Flux Test Facility, a 400 MWt sodium cooled fast spectrum reactor.

Mark received his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from Montana State University, a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Washington State University, and is a PhD candidate (ABD) in nuclear engineering at the University of South Carolina, where he also serves as an adjunct professor. He is a registered professional engineer in the state of Washington and a certified Project Management Professional.

Rani Franovich is Deep Fission’s VP of Regulatory Affairs and a recognized expert in commercial reactor safety, licensing, and regulatory modernization. She leads engagement with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and shapes the licensing strategy for Deep Fission’s borehole reactors, while guiding broader policy and legislative efforts to support nuclear energy expansion.

During her 30 years at the NRC, Rani spent six years as a resident inspector at the Catawba Nuclear Station. She also held key leadership roles in licensing, oversight, and incident response, including service on the NRC’s response team for the Fukushima Daiichi accident. She is widely regarded for her expertise in risk-informed, performance-based regulatory approaches to regulation and regularly contributes to national regulatory dialogue on this and other topics.

Following her time at the NRC, Rani founded a consulting firm, advising clients and policymakers on nuclear regulation, energy policy, and legislative opportunities to modernize the U.S. regulatory framework.

She holds an M.S. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech and has completed executive programs at Harvard, Duke, and Rutgers.

Bryan has held power trading roles at Black Hills Power, Tenaska, and Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS).  At UAMPS, he was promoted to Chief Operating Officer and headed up strategic growth, transmission, and new developments, including the power marketing strategy for UAMPS’ 600 MW Small Modular Nuclear Reactor to be developed at the Idaho National Lab. After UAMPS, Black co-founded and was the CEO of Nodal Power, a landfill gas to energy development company. 

He holds an undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University and a master’s degree from Tulane University.

Chloe leads strategic affairs at Deep Fission and is a seasoned strategist with 15 years of experience at the intersection of politics, finance, and tech. A trusted advisor to C-suite leaders and decision-makers from Capitol Hill to Wall Street and Silicon Valley, she has led communications at UNest and J.P. Morgan Asset Management and served on Capitol Hill for Senator Maria Cantwell. Previously, she founded CJX Media, where she helped companies craft compelling messaging and communications strategies. 

Chloe holds a B.S. in Journalism from Boston University.

John is a Texas native – born and raised in the Lone Star State! After acquiring his BS in MET/CIS, he found gainful employment in the form of mechanical engineering for petrol-based energy (31.3 31.1 Piping/ASME code work), advanced manufacturing, and robotic/automation engineering. Nine years ago, John started his own engineering and consulting company (NeuTorq Strategies) which has allowed him to experience a multifarious array of different engineering practices (including the Pele Project for the DOD/DOE).

Chris is passionate about promoting the advancement of nuclear power new build design and licensing. He has over 18 years of experience solving challenging engineering problems over various disciplines including power and process piping, pressure vessel design, thermal mechanical finite element analysis, and fluid structure interaction.

Chris started his career at Westinghouse Electric Company analyzing major components for the AP1000 pressurized water reactor with expertise in ASME Code analysis and Steam Generator internals flow induced vibration. He continued his career working at Nuclear Power Plants and Research Reactors in the United States and Europe, along with engineering positions in the process industry and consulting for Becht Engineering.

Chris received his undergraduate and master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.

Jason received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from Kansas State University, both in Nuclear Engineering. His 25-year career has involved all aspects of ensuring the safety of commercial nuclear and nuclear-related industries, including system safety analysis, probabilistic risk assessment, and safety instrumentation and controls architecture design and licensing. Experience includes:

• NuScale Power safety analysis, plant I&C architecture design and licensing, and the Highly Integrated Protection System Topical Report
• SHINE Technologies facility safety I&C architecture design
• X-Energy Xe-100 preliminary safety I&C architecture design
• Kairos Power HERMES preliminary safety I&C architecture design
• Engineering Director at Paragon Energy Solutions
• Nuclear Engineer at Wolf Creek Nuclear Generating Station

John McClure has nearly two decades of energy experience with a robust background spanning nuclear power, oil & gas, and renewables. He brings a wealth of knowledge in electronics design and power systems engineering.

John’s career began in the U.S. Navy’s nuclear propulsion program, where he developed a strong foundation in high-reliability power and instrumentation systems and nuclear operations. He then spent a decade in the oil and gas sector, designing down-hole electronics for extreme environments and running an R&D department, ultimately serving as Vice President of Engineering for an oilfield services company.

He pivoted to become Chief Engineer of a solar energy startup, with a role spanning business development, operations, and electrical power system design.

John earned a BSET from the University of Houston and an MBA from Sam Houston State University. He is a licensed Professional Engineer (Electrical) registered in Texas, California, and Hawaii.

Adam Rose is a multidisciplinary leader with over two decades of experience spanning nuclear operations, green power generation, systems engineering, quality assurance, and defense technology.  With a track record of technical excellence and operational leadership, Adam brings deep insight and steady execution to the forefront of nuclear engineering innovation.

Prior to joining Deep Fission, Adam was the operations manager for Element Materials Technology, where he managed a team executing millions of dollars in qualification, testing, and supply for domestic and international nuclear power plants and manufacturers.  Including the construction of a one-of-a-kind testing facility for SMR testing.  

Adam is a licensed Senior Reactor Operator and holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Varun is the Principal Mechanical Engineer at Deep Fission, leading the piping, structural, and mechanical systems design for the DBR program. With over 15 years of experience in nuclear and aerospace industries, he focuses on developing integrated solutions where design, fabrication, and testing come together to deliver reliable, manufacturable, and inspectable systems.

Earlier in his career, Varun worked on nuclear systems at Holtec International, Structural Integrity Associates, and Entergy Nuclear, where he specialized in ASME Section III and VIII code compliance, piping and pressure vessel design, flaw tolerance evaluations, and equipment qualification. He later expanded his expertise at The Boeing Company, applying these principles to advanced fabrication techniques and weld procedure development. There, he also led structural testing and component qualification in collaboration with NASA and the FAA—sharpening his ability to deliver robust designs under demanding performance and safety requirements.

Varun holds a MS degree from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and a BE degree from Bharati Vidyapeeth University in India, both in Mechanical Engineering.

With over thirty years of engineering leadership in nuclear reactor analysis and multi-physics simulation, Brett brings his submarine-nuclear power expertise to Deep Fission’s subsurface reactors.

He pioneered advanced thermal-hydraulics methods—deploying boiling-flow CFD codes and extending TRACE’s transient modeling capabilities to advanced reactor concepts—and wove together nuclear physics, thermal-hydraulics, structural mechanics, and materials performance into practical design tools.

Brett holds an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Penn State University and a B.S. from Boston University.

Anya brings over 10 years of experience in capital markets, specializing in raising debt and equity, including tax equity, for transformative infrastructure projects in the energy sector. With a proven ability to structure complex financial agreements and develop detailed financial models, Anya has played a key role in fostering strategic finance partnerships that enhance business growth. Her expertise encompasses crafting innovative corporate finance models that drive value for stakeholders. Anya has raised financing and contributed to high-impact projects at leading energy companies, including SunPower Corporation, NRG Energy, Clearway Energy, LanzaTech, and NuScale Power, across both US and EU markets.

Anya holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of San Francisco.

Supna Zaidi brings over two decades of experience in law, policy, risk management, and consulting across both the private and nonprofit sectors. Supna holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Theory and History from the University of California, San Diego, and a J.D. from New York Law School.

With 20 years of experience in hospitality and event management, Jen has developed exceptional problem-solving skills and a strong ability to execute complex projects. After running her own company in San Francisco, California, she brings grit and perseverance to her role at Deep Fission

Previously, as founder of Fuddhism Consulting, Jen successfully partnered with elite organizations, managing substantial budgets and leading cross-functional teams to create unforgettable event experiences. Now, at Deep Fission, she leverages her expertise to navigate the intricacies of a nuclear technology startup.

Jen has a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of South Florida and resides in Lake Tahoe, California, with her husband and their three incredibly active boys.

Steven Chu is Professor of Physics, Molecular and Cellular Physiology, and Energy Science and Engineering at Stanford University. He received the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics for laser cooling and trapping of atoms. Other contributions include the first optical tweezers manipulation of biomolecules, precision atom interferometry based on optical pulses of light, and single molecule FRET of biomolecules tethered to surfaces. He is now developing and applying new methods in molecular biology and medical imaging, materials science, and batteries. Previously he was U.S. Secretary of Energy, where he began ARPA-E, the Energy Innovation Hubs, and was tasked by President Obama to help BP stop the Macondo Oil spill. Previously, he was Director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Professor of Physics and Applied Physics at Stanford, and helped initiate Bio-X, which linked the physical and biological sciences with engineering and medicine. Before Stanford, he was a department head at Bell Laboratories. He was past president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a Senior Advisor to the Directors of the NIH and the NNSA. He received an A.B. degree in mathematics and a B.S. degree in physics from the University of Rochester, a Ph.D. in physics from the University of California, Berkeley, has 35 honorary degrees, and is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and 8 foreign academies.

Jabu Dayton is the founder and CEO of Jabu HR, a consulting firm specializing in people operations for startups and scaling companies. With over 25 years of experience—including leadership roles at Nordstrom and early Airbnb—Jabu brings deep expertise in HR, executive coaching, compliance, and culture building.

Since launching Jabu HR in 2014, she has served as interim Chief People Officer for 27+ companies across tech, fintech, healthcare, green energy, and more. She’s known for her strategic, employee-first approach and as a tireless advocate for equity and inclusion in the workplace.

Jabu is a graduate of The Evergreen State College and an active mentor, volunteer, yogi, and traveler.

General Patrick Huston spent 35 years in uniform, including experience as a Commanding General, Army Ranger; helicopter pilot; prosecutor; five combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan; and General Counsel of the 101^st Airborne Division, the Joint Special Operations Command, and the U.S. Central Command. Before retiring as a Brigadier General, he also served on the Pentagon’s “Responsible AI Board.”

General Huston lives in San Francisco and provides strategic advice to business leaders. He’s the General Counsel of Ondas Holdings, a global technology company (NASDAQ: ONDS). He is a certified director at the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD.DC), the chair of the NACD’s Technology Group, on the board of aiComply, and on the FBI’s AI Task Force.

Steven Koonin, a Senior Fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution, authored the recent bestseller Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn’t, and Why It Matters. He has previously served as Under Secretary for Science at the U.S. Department of Energy (2009-2011), as Chief Scientist for BP (2004-2009) moving the firm into renewable energy, and as a professor at Caltech (1975 – 2004, the last nine years as the Institute’s Vice President and Provost).  Koonin is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the JASON group of government advisors, as well as an Independent Governor of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, having served in similar capacities for the Los Alamos, Sandia, Brookhaven, and Argonne National Laboratories.  Other prior roles include a University Professor at NYU, a non-resident Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and a Trustee of the Institute for Defense Analyses. 

Koonin has a BS in Physics from Caltech and a PhD in Theoretical Physics from MIT. He is the author of the classic 1985 textbook Computational Physics and has published some 200 peer-reviewed papers in physics and astrophysics, scientific computation, energy technology and policy, and climate science.

Dr. John C. Mather is a Senior Astrophysicist and was the Senior Project Scientist for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Since the project start in 1995 until 2023, he led the JWST science teams. As a postdoctoral fellow at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies he led the proposal efforts for the Cosmic Background Explorer (74-76), and came to GSFC to be the Study Scientist (76-88), Project Scientist (88-98), and the Principal Investigator for the Far IR Absolute Spectrophotometer (FIRAS) on COBE.  With the COBE team, he showed that the cosmic microwave background radiation has a blackbody spectrum within 50 parts per million, confirming the expanding universe model to extraordinary accuracy. The COBE team also made the first map of the hot and cold spots in the background radiation (anisotropy), the spots which nucleated the formation of galaxies. Dr. Mather received the Nobel Prize in Physics (2006) with George Smoot, for the COBE work.

Mark is President and CEO of the MITRE Corporation and former Director of Idaho National Laboratory (INL). He is a leader in advanced nuclear energy research and development, with decades of experience driving innovation in the sector.

Joanna Riley is an entrepreneur, investor, and advocate in technology and is currently the CEO and Co-founder of Censia, a leading talent intelligence platform that helps companies harness the power of AI to make the best and fairest decisions about Human Capital.

Joanna has a highly experienced background in building and scaling companies, which she attributes to her deep passion for people and building technologies that allow people to be their best selves. Under her guidance, Censia has been celebrated as a leader in vertical AI advancements and a driver of positive change in the future of work.

Prior to founding Censia, she led her companies through two successful acquisitions and an IPO, was part of the FBI’s International Training Unit, was a collegiate rower, and earned her BA degree in foreign affairs from the University of Virginia.

A thought leader on the future of work, Joanna advocates for inclusive practices and supports women in technology and female-led startups. Beyond Censia, Joanna sits on the Board of Directors for CompTIA, the leading certification body in the IT industry. She serves as Pacific Regional Membership Officer for the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), the largest organization of CEOs globally, with more than 34,000 members in 150 countries who are driven by the belief that the world needs better leaders. She is an active early-stage angel investor in category leaders, including Modern Health, Rebel Girls, Upside, Poplin, and more, nurturing the next generation of tech leaders.

Joanna’s influence and impact have earned her recognition and awards from Forbes, Fast Company, Fortune, Inc., the World Economic Forum, Goldman Sachs, and others for her contributions to tech innovation and entrepreneurship.

Ms. Salisbury is the CEO of Humanist Venture Studio, where she builds companies that use AI to maximize human potential, especially for low opportunity learners and workers.  Humanist Venture Studio specializes in building commercial teams and strategies for category-defining companies like Deep Fission.

Among her many contributions in the business world, Ms. Salisbury spent four years building go-to-market teams at Guild, where she helped Fortune 500 partners such as Walmart, Disney, and JPMC put learning and career mobility at the center of their talent strategy. She also served on the leadership team at Guild through a four-year period of hyper growth and a Series F fundraise and $4.4 billion valuation.

Prior to Guild, Ms. Salisbury was a leader at Entangled, an edtech venture studio. At Entangled, she supported the launch of six new ventures with positive growth and/or exits. Entangled was acquired by Guild in 2020.

Ms. Salisbury has also held leadership roles at Edsurge, a vertical media business, and Davidson College, where she led strategic initiatives from the President’s Office. She started her career as a community organizer in the rural south with a focus on economic opportunity.

Ms. Salisbury is a mom of three — Pax, Nora & Jack — and lives in the Presidio of San Francisco with her husband Rex.

She regularly shares new perspectives in her column on Forbes.

Kristin Sverchek is the former President at Lyft, a ridesharing and micromobility company, where she helped the company grow for well over a decade as General Counsel, President of Business Affairs, and most recently President. Prior to that, she was a corporate attorney in private practice in San Francisco and Silicon Valley.

Kristin holds a B.A. in Molecular and Cell Biology from UC Berkeley and a J.D. from UC Law San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings). Kristin serves as a board member for Reading Partners SF Bay Area, and the National Women’s Law Center, while also remaining deeply involved with her alma maters, UC Berkeley and UC Law San Francisco.