Stephen Burns

Stephen Burns served as an NRC Commissioner from November 2014 through April 2019 and was the Chair from January 2015 until January 23, 2017. Prior to his service as a Commissioner, Mr. Burns was the Head of Legal Affairs at the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) in Paris. Before joining the NEA, Mr. Burns was a career employee at the NRC from 1978 to 2012. He served in a variety of roles, including being appointed as the NRC's General Counsel from May 2009 until April 2012. Mr. Burns was also the Executive Assistant to former NRC Chairman Kenneth M. Carr and the first Director of the Office of Commission Appellate Adjudication.

Mr. Burns currently serves as a Senior Visiting Fellow at Third Way, a non-governmental organisation, in its climate and energy program. He was appointed in 2022 by the Director General of the IAEA to chair the International Nuclear Safety Advisory Group (INSAG). Mr. Burns received his JD degree in 1978 from the George Washington University and his BA degree in 1975 from Colgate University. In 2020 the Government of Japan awarded Mr. Burns the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star, in recognition of his contributions to enhancing the co-operation between Japan and the United States on nuclear safety regulation.