Dr. Brandon L. Thorne, Sr.
President
Dr. Brandon L. Thorne, Sr. serves as President of USRA Energy, a subsidiary of Universities Space Research Association (USRA). He will lead strategy advancing nuclear innovation, AI-enabled energy systems, and quantum technologies for modeling, optimization, materials science, national security, workforce development, and support of federal missions. This role builds on USRA’s decades-long nuclear research legacy and strengthens its leadership in the emerging nuclear renaissance.He will oversee program development, partnerships, and mission execution supporting federal energy priorities amid growing global investment in advanced energy systems.
Dr. Thorne will be working closely with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to align USRA’s research, workforce development, and institutional capabilities with evolving needs in energy security and scientific leadership. Dr. Thorne brings over 20 years of senior leadership experience across DOE and the Department of Defense, with roles spanning multiple national laboratories. His expertise includes governance, safety, operations, contractor performance, and risk management in high-hazard environments.
Previously, he served as Senior Director at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), managing strategic operations and governance under Princeton University’s DOE contract, and advising boards on compliance and oversight. He also held leadership roles at Brookhaven, Lawrence Livermore, and Savannah River, supporting complex operations and international collaborations.
A U.S. Army combat pilot, Dr. Thorne led global high-risk operations and crisis response efforts. He is a certified DOE instructor and project director, with extensive experience in executive and workforce training.
He is a Harvard Kennedy School Senior Executive Fellow and has completed executive education at Harvard, Yale, Wharton, and Oxford. He holds a Ph.D. from Southern University and A&M College, along with engineering and business degrees from UAB, the University of South Carolina, and Norfolk State University.