Rita Baranwal

Dr. Rita Baranwal is the Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy at the US Department of Energy. Dr. Baranwal, whom the U.S. Senate first confirmed on June 20, becomes the first woman to lead the U. S. Department of Energy. In her new role, Dr. Baranwal will lead the office’s efforts to promote research and development on existing and advanced nuclear technologies, maintain the existing fleet of nuclear reactors, and promote the development of a robust pipeline of advanced reactor designs and supply chain capabilities. Dr.Baranwal has directed the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) initiative at Idaho National Laboratory since 2016. Previously, Dr. Baranwal was director of Technology Development in the Engineering Center of Excellence at Westinghouse Electric Corporation. Dr. Baranwal has a bachelor’s from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in materials science and engineering and a master’s and PH.D. in the same discipline from the University of Michigan.