John E. Kelly - Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Reactor Technologies
Dr. John E. Kelly was appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Reactor Technologies in the Office of Nuclear Energy in October 2010. His office is responsible for civilian nuclear reactor research and development portfolio, which includes DOE’s programs on Small Modular Reactors, Light-water reactor (LWR) sustainability, and Generation IV reactors. His office also is responsible for the design, development, and production of radioisotope power systems principally for NASA missions. In the international arena, Dr. Kelly chairs the Generation IV International Forum.
Prior to joining the Department of Energy, Dr. Kelly spent 30 years at Sandia National Laboratories where he has been engaged in a broad spectrum of research programs in nuclear reactor safety, advanced nuclear energy technology, and national security. His reactor safety research focused on core melt progression phenomena, which led to an improved understanding of the Three Mile Island accident. More recently, his expertise was applied to determine the consequences of the Fukushima Dai-Ichi accident.
Dr. Kelly is an active member of the American Nuclear Society and has served on the Nuclear Installations Safety Division for the last two decades in a number of leadership positions. His committee work has focused on increasing the publication of scientific work in the nuclear safety field and in developing national positions on the safety of nuclear power.
Born in Detroit, Michigan, Dr. Kelly received his B.S. in nuclear engineering from the University of Michigan in 1976 and his Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1980. Dr. Kelly married his wife, Suzanne, in 1976. They have three grown children, Julie, John, and Michael.
