Brad R Johnson

Brad R Johnson

Special Assignment, Nuclear Battery Initiative

Brad Johnson is on special assignment focused on ORNL's nuclear battery initiative. By maturing nuclear battery technology, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) can advance a unique solution for clean energy and national security. ORNL’s leadership in isotopes, materials, and batteries positions us well to rapidly develop and deploy this capability. With more than 30 years of experience in materials science research, technical and program management, and nuclear operations, Dr. Johnson is tasked with identifying tools and expertise from across ORNL that can be utilized in building a team to pursue this initiative.

Dr. Johnson, a materials scientist, joined ORNL in 2019. He has more than 25 years of experience with research and development in materials synthesis and processing (ceramics, chalcogenides, glasses) and materials characterization (degradation of metals, ceramics and glasses). His area of technical expertise is in analytical electron microscopy. Prior to joining ORNL, Dr. Johnson worked for the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory as a chief scientist and technical group manager. He has earned two R&D100 awards, holds several patents, and has more than 50 publications. Before commencing his scientific career, Brad served in the U.S. Navy as a nuclear trained surface warfare officer on USS ENTERPRISE (CVN-65) and USS ELROD (FFG-55), as well as with the Mine Warfare Command. He received his bachelor of science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy and his master’s and doctoral degrees in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.