Prof. Massimiliano Fratoni to spearhead development of the next generation, portable, on-demand capable, advanced nuclear microreactor
NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: NNE) (“NANO Nuclear”), an emerging vertically integrated microreactor and advanced nuclear technology company led by a world-class nuclear engineering team developing proprietary, portable, and clean energy solutions, is pleased to announce that Massimiliano Fratoni, Ph.D., a Xenel Distinguished Professor and Chair in the Department of Nuclear Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley (UCB), has been appointed as NANO Nuclear’s Senior Director and Head of Reactor Design.
“I am proud to be part of the growing and excellent team at NANO Nuclear,” said Prof. Fratoni, Senior Director and Head of Reactor Design. “The depth of the technical personnel behind NANO Nuclear, as well as the robust management team cannot be understated. There is a genuine opportunity to reshape the nuclear industry in the coming years, with support from both the government and the private sector, as people are beginning to see that nuclear is the best option going forward. I fully believe that NANO Nuclear is exceptionally well positioned to capitalize on that potential.”
Figure 1 – Professor Massimiliano Fratoni, Ph.D., Chair in the UC Berkeley Nuclear Engineering Department, Becomes the Senior Director and Head of Reactor Design of NANO Nuclear Energy Inc.
Massimiliano Fratoni is a Xenel Distinguished Professor, Associate Professor and Chair in the Department of Nuclear Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. He received a Laurea in Nuclear Engineering from Università di Roma “La Sapienza” (Italy), and a MSc and a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to joining the Nuclear Engineering Department at UCB, he held a Research Scientist position at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and a faculty position at The Pennsylvania State University.
“It is a pleasure to welcome Prof. Fratoni, a world-renowned nuclear engineer, to the NANO Nuclear team. It is an honor that both of our microreactor development teams are led by Chairs from two of the world’s most prestigious institutions,” said Jay Yu, Executive Chairman and President of NANO Nuclear Energy. “Prof. Fratoni is a leading expert and engineer in the advanced nuclear technology field and has been key in the design and development of our ‘ZEUS’ portable microreactor. His contributions to our company have been brilliant and I am confident that this new role will help us to better leverage his years of experience and position NANO Nuclear at the cutting-edge of the industry.”
Prof. Fratoni’s main research interests are in sustainable nuclear energy through advanced reactors and advanced fuel cycles. His research is focused on developing innovative engineering solutions that will facilitate the widespread deployment and adoption of advanced nuclear energy technologies. Prof. Fratoni is the author of more than 200 publications in the areas of advanced reactors and advanced fuel cycles. He received the American Nuclear Society Early Career Reactor Physicist Award (2018) and the Untermyer & Cisler Reactor Technology Medal (2024).
Generating 1 to 2 megawatts of electric output, NANO Nuclear’s ‘ZEUS’ microreactor in development is a solid core battery reactor intended to be a mobile and safe energy solution. ZEUS is being optimized to meet the diverse needs of various industries, including data centers, AI and quantum computing, crypto mining, military applications, disaster relief efforts and isolated regions, transportation and shipping, mining projects, water desalination plants, green hydrogen production, and even space exploration. NANO Nuclear’s goal is to commercially launch its microreactors by approximately 2030.
“I’m incredibly happy to count Massimiliano as a member of our team,” said James Walker, Chief Executive Officer and Head of Reactor Development of NANO Nuclear Energy. “His contributions to the development of ‘ZEUS’ have been truly inspiring, and I am confident that this new role will allow him to fully leverage his extensive knowledge and capabilities. The flexibility and simplicity of Prof. Fratoni’s design enables us to serve a diverse array of industries and niches in ways that existing energy sources cannot. It will be a pleasure to continue leading the transition towards cleaner and more sustainable energy solutions alongside Prof. Fratoni.”
Figure 2 – Artist Rendering of NANO Nuclear Energy’s ‘ZEUS’ Advanced Portable Nuclear Microreactor
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