Renewal Fuels, Inc., operating under the American Fusion brand, has announced the appointment of Dr. John E. Brandenburg as Chief Technology Officer of its subsidiary Kepler Fusion Technologies. The appointment positions a veteran plasma physicist with extensive national laboratory experience to lead the technical development and commercialization strategy for the company's Texatron™ aneutronic fusion energy platform.
Dr. Brandenburg brings more than four decades of specialized experience in fusion energy, advanced propulsion, and applied plasma physics to his new role. His career includes senior scientific positions at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where he conducted research on magnetically confined thermonuclear fusion and performed LASNEX modeling on inertial confinement fusion pellet designs. At Sandia National Laboratories, he worked on relativistic electron beam physics and plasma interactions for defense applications. He has held U.S. government security clearances at the Top Secret, Secret, Q, and SITK levels in connection with sensitive national research programs supporting defense and energy initiatives.
As Principal Scientist at The Aerospace Corporation, Dr. Brandenburg directed the CMTX compact fusion propulsion experiment and supported national security programs, including MASINT analysis. He received a formal Letter of Commendation for technical contributions to the Cobra Judy Replacement Project. While at the Florida Space Institute at Kennedy Space Center, he led research in microwave electro-thermal propulsion, magnetically confined fusion plasmas, and plasma chemical processing for in-situ resource utilization. At ORBITEC, he led vortex rocket engine theory development and experimental testing, directed lunar and Martian plume interaction research, and contributed to advanced propulsion and electromagnetic shielding systems.
Since February 2019, Dr. Brandenburg has served as lead scientist and technology architect at Kepler Aerospace Ltd. and Kepler Fusion Technologies, where he has played a central role in developing the Texatron™ compact toroidal fusion concept. Under his leadership, the company has advanced theoretical research, proof-of-principle plasma confinement validation, and fusion-based clean energy systems development. Dr. Brandenburg earned his Ph.D. in Plasma Physics from the University of California, Davis in 1981, where his doctoral research focused on field-reversed plasma layers created by mono-energetic ions.
Dr. Brandenburg is the inventor or co-inventor on multiple issued U.S. patents covering plasma reactors, propulsion systems, hydrogen and ammonia processing, and persistent ionization plasma generation. His issued patents include U.S. Patent Nos. 6,205,769; 5,956,938; 7,037,484; 7,094,384; 8,101,032; 6,441,552; and 6,838,831. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications across IEEE, AIAA, APS Division of Plasma Physics proceedings, and related scientific journals, and is the author of The GEM Unification Theory: Extending the Standard Model to Include Gravitation.
In his role as Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Brandenburg will oversee technology strategy, reactor physics, experimental validation, intellectual property development, and long-term commercialization readiness for the Texatron™ platform. Brent Nelson, CEO of Kepler Fusion Technologies, stated that Dr. Brandenburg's decades of experience at premier national laboratories and his hands-on leadership in developing the Texatron™ platform make him uniquely qualified to guide the technology toward commercial deployment. Richard Hawkins, Chairman and CEO of Renewal Fuels, Inc., noted that Dr. Brandenburg's appointment represents a major step forward for American Fusion, with his technical vision and commercialization focus being invaluable as the company builds an infrastructure-grade fusion platform.
The appointment signals Renewal Fuels' commitment to advancing its fusion energy technology through experienced scientific leadership. The company's strategy is centered on building a scalable, infrastructure-grade fusion energy platform supported by proprietary technology, disciplined intellectual property development, and long-term commercial deployment objectives. Kepler Fusion Technologies is developing the Texatron™ aneutronic fusion platform designed to support modular, infrastructure-grade deployment for industrial, commercial, and grid-constrained applications. Additional information about Dr. Brandenburg's background is available at https://kepleraerospace.com/about-us/dr-john-brandenburg-phd/, while information about Kepler Fusion Technologies and its Texatron™ platform can be found at http://www.keplerfusion.com and http://americanfusionenergy.com.
