Executive Team

A serial entrepreneur at the forefront of nuclear energy and environmental innovation, Liz is the co-founder and CEO of Deep Fission. Previously, she co-founded and served as CEO of Deep Isolation, a pioneering nuclear waste disposal company, where she is now Board Chair. Liz also co-founded Berkeley Earth, a nonprofit providing critical data science on climate change.

A named inventor on multiple patents, Liz was recognized as a Clean Energy Rising Star by Business Insider in 2020. Beyond her professional achievements, she is a published author, backpacker, dance instructor, and proud mother of two, based in the Bay Area.

Liz holds a Bachelor of Mathematics from UC San Diego and an M.B.A. from ESCP Business School in Paris.

Rich is co-founder and CTO of Deep Fission, and co-founder of Deep Isolation, a nuclear waste disposal company. He is also a Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of California, Berkeley. A prolific inventor with over 80 issued patents, Rich has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific articles, including key work on the safety of deeply buried nuclear waste.

His groundbreaking research has earned him numerous awards, including the MacArthur “Genius” Prize, the National Science Foundation’s Alan T. Waterman Award, and the Breakthrough Prize. He is also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In addition to his research, Rich has received multiple teaching awards and written ten books, including Physics for Future Presidents and Energy for Future Presidents. He was recognized as one of Time’s  “People Who Mattered” in 2011.

Rich holds a B.A. in Physics from Columbia University and a Ph.D. in Physics from UC Berkeley. He also served as a national security advisor to the U.S. government for over three decades.

With a proven track record of scaling growth-oriented companies and preparing them for public company reporting, Mark brings more than 40 years of global finance leadership experience across the energy technology, automotive, life safety, banking, and manufacturing sectors. He has served as CFO for leading companies, including Goodyear, Itron, Plug Power, and Alghanim Industries, and has held senior finance positions in China, Brazil, the U.K., and the Middle East.

Mike Brasel is a seasoned leader in the nuclear industry with nearly three decades of experience spanning nuclear, fossil, and renewable energy sectors. Before his role as Chief Operating Officer, Mike served as Vice President of Nuclear Programs and has already been instrumental in building Deep Fission’s engineering organization, advancing the company’s technology toward demonstration and eventual commercialization. A seasoned leader with nearly three decades of experience across the nuclear, fossil, and renewable energy sectors, he brings deep expertise in strategic planning, project management, regulatory compliance, and supply chain development.

Prior to joining Deep Fission, Mike held key leadership roles at NuScale Power, where he managed multi-billion-dollar nuclear projects, led supply chain development for first-of-a-kind nuclear technologies, and directed regulatory affairs. Most recently, he served as Senior Project Director for the Carbon Free Power Project, overseeing reactor pressure vessel manufacturing, licensing applications, and large-scale capital project planning.

Mike’s career also includes leadership positions at Dairyland Power Cooperative, where he served as Plant Manager of the La Crosse Boiling Water Reactor, directing decommissioning efforts and nuclear regulatory compliance. His background as a U.S. Navy Nuclear Plant Operator further solidifies his expertise in reactor operations and maintenance.

Beyond his corporate roles, Mike is actively involved in industry leadership, serving on multiple Boards of Directors, including Great River Energy and Lake Region Electric Cooperative. He holds an M.B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Old Dominion University, and has completed executive education at Kellogg School of Business, Northwestern University.

Jon Gordon has served as General Counsel and Secretary of Deep Fission since October 2025. Before joining Deep Fission, he served as General Counsel and Chief Commercial Officer of a hydrogen-electrolyzer company from June 2024 to September 2025. From November 2019 to June 2024, he was Co-Founder, General Counsel and Head of Partnerships and Government Affairs of Universal Hydrogen, a developer of hydrogen-powered aircraft and fueling systems. Prior to that, Mr. Gordon was Deputy General Counsel for Technology and Digital at United Technologies (now Raytheon Technologies), and earlier in his career he practiced M&A and securities law at Cravath, Swaine & Moore and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. Mr. Gordon earned both his B.A. and J.D. from the University of Chicago.