Ronald Murata, an expert in nuclear reactors and reactor design, has more than twenty-five years of experience working in the top scientific echelons of the defense, nuclear, and aerospace industries. He has managed and led major engineering projects, including the design of nuclear power systems and components. Mr. Murata has been a member of Lightbridge Corporation’s Technical Advisory Board since 2006.
While an engineer at Lockheed Martin, Mr. Murata oversaw the development of a first-of-its-kind nuclear propulsion system for the proposed Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter spacecraft. At Martin Marietta Corp., he spearheaded the design of the space power reactor, the design and manufacture of test fuel components, and the development of advanced reactor concepts such as the low-power reactor for space-based radar applications. Mr. Murata was also the head reactor engineer for GE’s Advanced Reactor Department; he led the engineering team in the core design and safety analyses for liquid metal-cooled power reactors. In that capacity, Mr. Murata liaised directly with officials from the U.S. Department of Energy on issues related to nuclear fuel and materials testing. Mr. Murata has led influential industry studies on nuclear reactor design, radiation shielding, and reactor control systems for aerospace missions. He has authored numerous scientific papers on topics including nuclear power and propulsion in space and conceptual space reactor designs.
Mr. Murata received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Colorado State University and his master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Santa Clara University.
