Subcritical Systems achieved a major milestone by confirming with the NRC that its Energy Amplifier technology can be licensed under existing regulatory frameworks (10 CFR Part 70 and Part 30), eliminating the need for new rulemaking and significantly accelerating the path to commercialization. This regulatory clarity de-risks the timeline to market and validates the company's approach with federal authorities. The announcement follows productive engagement with NRC staff and legal guidance from former NRC Commissioner Jeff Merrifield, positioning Subcritical Systems to lead U.S. deployment of accelerator-driven subcritical nuclear energy systems while similar projects advance in Europe and China.

For 30 years of VC, we have avoided any nuclear energy startup that had to pass the slow and expensive gauntlet of NRC Part 50 regulation. We finally found a bypass with subcritical fission, and the NRC agrees. This means they could bring their inherently-safe reactor online in two years, well before more traditional designs.

• NRC news today: https://globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/01/12/3217171/0/en/Subcritical-Systems-Announces-Planned-Licensing-Pathway-for-Accelerator-Driven-Subcritical-Energy-Amplifier-Under-Existing-NRC-Regulations.html • Company: https://Subcritical.com now hiring in Austin, TX

@FutureJurvetson

Stuart Henderson 
Chief Technology Officer
Subcritical Systems

Stuart Henderson is Chief Technology Officer at Subcritical Systems, where he leads technology development for accelerator-driven, subcritical nuclear energy systems and the enabling superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) and accelerator technologies required to deliver them at scale.  

Henderson brings decades of leadership experience from the U.S. national laboratory system and is widely recognized for his expertise in particle accelerators and high-performance scientific facilities. He previously served as Director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab), guiding the laboratory’s operations and long-range vision for world-leading nuclear physics research and advanced accelerator capabilities.  ​

Prior to Jefferson Lab, Henderson led major accelerator initiatives across the DOE complex, including serving as Director of the Advanced Photon Source Upgrade Project at Argonne National Laboratory, Associate Laboratory Director for Accelerators at Fermilab, and holding senior roles at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Spallation Neutron Source, where he helped drive construction, commissioning, and the transition to successful high-power user operations.  

​He has contributed to national and international advisory bodies for large-scale accelerator facilities and is a Fellow of the American Physical Society. Henderson earned a B.S. in Chemistry from Vanderbilt University and a Ph.D. in Physics from Yale University.