Dr. Ethan Klein

Dr. Ethan Klein earned his Ph.D. from MIT, where he worked at LANPh under the advisorship of Prof. Areg Danagoulian. Ethan specialized in neutron resonance transmission analysis (NRTA). NRTA is a spectroscopic technique that leverages the resonant absorption of neutrons in the epithermal energy range to determine the isotopic composition of materials. His doctoral research focused on developing compact, cost-effective NRTA systems using portable deuterium-tritium (DT) neutron generators, aiming to broaden the applicability of NRTA in fields such as nuclear security, materials science, and arms control.

In a seminal study, Dr. Klein and his colleagues demonstrated that NRTA could be effectively performed using a compact DT neutron generator in conjunction with a ⁶Li-glass neutron detector. They successfully identified neutron absorption lines for elements like silver, cadmium, tungsten, indium, and depleted uranium within the 1–30 eV energy range. This work highlighted the feasibility of deploying NRTA in simplified configurations, potentially extending its use to various applications that require isotopic identification. Ethan defended his thesis in 2023.

Further advancing this research, Dr. Klein co-authored a paper titled "Neutron-Resonance Transmission Analysis with a Compact Deuterium-Tritium Neutron Generator," published in Physical Review Applied. The study proved the potential of compact NRTA systems for practical applications in nuclear security, arms control, and materials characterization applications. In an additional paper with colleagues from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, his research showed that NRTA can be used to characterize fuels used in the thorium fuel cycle, as well as to authenticate warheads in arms control treaty verification exercises.

Dr. Klein's contributions during his tenure at MIT have been instrumental in making NRTA more accessible and practical, paving the way for its integration into various scientific and security-related fields.

After graduating from MIT, Ethan was accepted to Standford's MBA program. Recently, he was nominated to the position of the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the White House. If confirmed, he will help lead the Office of Science and Technology Policy.