Today, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) announced the appointment of Dr. Peter Lyons to the position of Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy.
In this role, Dr. Lyons will be responsible for the management and operations of a combined headquarters and field office staff of about 360 federal personnel and an appropriated budget of over $750 million. He will join Dr. Warren Miller in DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) in a Senior Executive Service position.
“I am pleased to add Dr. Pete Lyons to my staff in the Office of Nuclear Energy. As the former Commissioner of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Dr. Lyons understands the significance of our energy and environmental challenges, and more importantly, understands the engineering and technical solutions necessary to address them. He is also aware of the vital role that NE plays in matters of energy and national security and appreciates the necessity of the Department’s voice on these matters. I fully expect him to aid NE and the Department with his leadership and nuclear expertise under the Obama Administration," said NE Assistant Secretary Dr. Warren Miller.
Throughout his career, Dr. Lyons has focused on the safety of operating reactors and on the importance of learning from operating experience, even as new reactor licensing and possible construction emerge. An extensive research background underlies his advocacy for a science and technology based research program to address current issues and anticipate future ones.
Dr. Lyons received his doctorate in nuclear astrophysics from the California Institute of Technology in 1969 and earned his undergraduate degree in physics and mathematics from the University of Arizona in 1964. He is a Fellow of the American Nuclear Society, a Fellow of the American Physical Society, held an elected position for 16 years on the Los Alamos School Board and spent six years on the University of New Mexico-Los Alamos Branch Advisory Board.
