YPPDO: Christina Back, General Atomics, “Afternoon tea with Dr. Back”

Dr. Christina Back is Vice President of Nuclear Technologies and Materials at General Atomics. She is an internationally recognized expert in both fission and fusion energy research, with over 25 years of experience leading research in private industry and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) laboratories. She regularly serves on committees for the National Academy of Sciences and the DOE. Recently, she participated in the White House Summit on Nuclear Energy and provided testimony to U.S. Congressional Committees. Dr. Back earned a B.S. from Yale University, and a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Florida. She has over one hundred peer-reviewed publications and is a Fellow of the American Physical Society.

Dr. Back believes nuclear energy must be part of the mix to meet U.S. and global energy needs. She is committed to bringing innovation through engineered materials and advanced technologies to make transformational advances in nuclear energy. At General Atomics, Dr. Back is responsible for nuclear fission programs and related technology development. Her major efforts focus on advanced nuclear reactors and accident-tolerant nuclear fuel to ensure that the world has clean, safe, cost-competitive energy for today, and tomorrow.