PNNL

Dean Paxton is the project manager for the Tritium Technology Program at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and has served in this role since 2018. In this role, Paxton leads a large, multidisciplinary team that provides a key capability to the National Nuclear Security Administration as the Design Authority for tritium-producing burnable absorber rods. Paxton also leads research, engineering, supply-chain management, and risk management for current and future tritium production. 

Paxton has supported the tritium mission for over 25 years with increasing levels of responsibilities, including deputy project manager for production, fabrication task manager, and fabrication task engineer.

Prior to his current role, Paxton was the group manager for the Nuclear Engineering & Analysis (NE&A) capability in the National Security Directorate. The NE&A group has internationally recognized capabilities with expertise in complex irradiation systems that support material science, tritium production, advanced fuel modeling, and reactor production analysis. Dean’s research experience has included development of fabrication and coating techniques for metal components used in a variety of engineering applications in the nuclear industry as well as lightweight materials for automotive applications and components for fuel cell power systems.

Dean joined Battelle in 1999 from the Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He has an MS in materials science from the University of Florida and a BS in metallurgical engineering from the University of Washington.

• MS in materials science and engineering, University of Florida
• BS in metallurgical engineering, University of Washington