Ethan Bates

Affiliation

Deep Isolation

Biography

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. 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 and safety. He is currently Director of Systems Engineering at Deep Isolation where he is responsible for the product roadmap and managing technical risks.