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.