Ed Pheil

Ed Pheil

Chief Technology Officer | Founder of Exodys Energy
Fusion Nuclear Engineer | Visionary Reactor Designer | National Defense Contributor

Ed Pheil is a pioneering nuclear engineer with over thirty years of experience transforming how America—and the world—thinks about energy. With a degree in Fusion Nuclear Engineering from Penn State University and a lifelong passion for solving complex problems, Ed’s career has spanned the most advanced sectors of defense, space exploration, and nuclear innovation.

Born near the shadows of Three Mile Island, Ed’s path was forged in the heart of America’s nuclear legacy. His career began at the Naval Nuclear Laboratory, where over 32 years he helped design, test, operate, and decommission a fleet of nuclear systems for six classes of U.S. submarines—including the Virginia and Columbia classes—as well as the Ford-class aircraft carrier. His portfolio also includes work on the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter (JIMO), a groundbreaking nuclear-powered spacecraft concept designed to explore Ganymede, Europa, and Io.

Throughout his career, Ed has played a leading role in the design of over 20 reactor types, analyzing and advancing systems from lithium and lead-cooled fast reactors to molten salt and thermal concepts. However, the limitations of the existing commercial nuclear landscape compelled him to push further.

In 2015, Ed founded Elysium Industries, where he and his team of nuclear veterans developed the Molten Chloride Salt Fast Reactor (MCSFR)—a revolutionary reactor design that not only produces clean, efficient power but also consumes nuclear waste as fuel. His work has helped turn Cold War liabilities—like weapons-grade plutonium—into 21st-century assets, charting a path toward energy abundance and national security.

Now Chief Technology Officer of Exodys Energy, Ed is expanding that vision. The Exodys FC-MSR reactor project aims to bring to market a low-cost, passively safe, load-following, and waste-consuming reactor design that adapts effortlessly across scale, from 10 MW test beds to 1,200 MW baseload workhorses. Designed to freeze upon leakage, immune to meltdown, and scalable without core redesign, the reactor offers an unmatched level of flexibility and security for America's evolving grid and industrial demands.

As a consultant and technical advisor, Ed also lends his expertise to organizations working on grid reliability, blackout-resilient infrastructure, building-level nuclear cogeneration, and energy optimization systems. From the FISONIC Pump to Silicon Accelerator’s quantum-enabled energy innovations, Ed continues to push the envelope of what is scientifically possible and economically viable.

Ed’s mission is simple: to make nuclear power safe and affordable and inspiring again. His work demonstrates that nuclear energy can be a tool of environmental stewardship, economic freedom, and global leadership. A generation of engineers is watching, and thanks to Ed, they now have a model to follow.

Though now living in New York State, Ed routinely visits Ohio to testify for developing new nuclear technologies and is no stranger to Washington, D.C.