General Atomics Names Dr. Anantha Krishnan to Head Energy Group
Veteran LLNL administrator will lead GA’s magnetic and inertial fusion divisions
San Diego, November 2, 2020 – General Atomics (GA) announced today that it has selected Dr. Anantha Krishnan as Senior Vice President of its Energy Group.
Dr. Krishnan has worked at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for the past 15 years, with the last six years as the Associate Laboratory Director for the Engineering Directorate. Previously, he held leadership positions at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and CFD Research Corporation. Dr. Krishnan brings over 30 years of programmatic, R&D, and business development experience in the areas of materials and manufacturing technologies, biomedical engineering, data and computation technologies, power/energy systems, and detection/sensor systems.
GA’s Energy Group is a world leader in fusion energy research. GA operates the DIII-D National Fusion Facility for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science. DIII-D is the largest magnetic fusion research facility in the U.S. and one of the largest in the world. Research at DIII-D addresses a range of issues spanning basic understanding of the physics of fusion plasmas to establishing a scientific basis for operation of future fusion devices, including the ITER international project. GA is also fabricating components for ITER including the Central Solenoid, which will be the world's most powerful pulsed superconducting magnet when it is placed in the heart of the ITER device.
GA’s Energy Group also plays a key role in support of inertial fusion research, which uses shockwaves to compress matter to fusion conditions. These high energy density experiments allow scientists to explore matter at extreme conditions, such as in the formation of stars or in the heart of a nuclear weapon. GA has supported the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Stockpile Stewardship Program for nearly three decades through its expertise in precision manufacturing, materials science, and advanced diagnostics. This initiative ensures the safety, security, and effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear stockpile without resuming explosive nuclear testing.
“Dr. Krishnan’s deep programmatic experience and decades of work in materials, energy and manufacturing research make him uniquely suited to lead GA’s energy activities,” said General Atomics CEO Neal Blue. “The Energy Group has a long history of collaboration with DOE’s national laboratory system, so Dr. Krishnan’s background makes him well-suited to this role.”
Dr. Krishnan holds doctoral and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Marquette University, respectively.
About General Atomics: Since the dawn of the atomic age, General Atomics innovations have advanced the state of the art across the full spectrum of science and technology – from nuclear energy and defense to medicine and high-performance computing. Behind a talented global team of scientists, engineers, and professionals, GA’s unique experience and capabilities continue to deliver safe, sustainable, economical, and innovative solutions to meet growing global demands.
For more information contact:
Zabrina Johal
858-455-4004
Zabrina.Johal@ga.com