Alex Gilbert, PhD

Alex Gilbert, PhD, is Principal & Field Director of Rocinante Fieldworks. He is a technology strategist, regulatory architect, and thought leader at the intersection of energy, space, and maritime sectors. He specializes in nuclear innovation, natural resources, and emerging industrial technologies.

Most recently, Alex served as VP of Regulation and Corporate Radiation Safety Officer at Zeno Power Systems, Inc., where he led safety and regulatory strategy for commercial radioisotope power systems for space and seabed applications. Before that, he helped establish the Nuclear Innovation Alliance as a thought leader in advanced nuclear innovation, commercialization, and regulatory reform.

Alex is an academic practitioner, leveraging multi-disciplinary methods to drive real-world safety and policy outcomes. He is a fellow at the Payne Institute for Public Policy, where he researches modern energy and resource security, and an adjunct faculty member at Johns Hopkins University, where he teaches a graduate course on nuclear technology and policy and mentors master’s capstone projects.

Dr. Gilbert received his PhD in Space Resources from the Colorado School of Mines, where his dissertation focused on astronaut nuclear safety for the Moon, Mars, and deep space. He also holds an MS in Space Resources from the Colorado School of Mines, a Master of Energy Regulation and Law degree and a Certificate in Climate Law from Vermont Law School, and a BA in International Relations and Environmental Studies from Lake Forest College.

Additionally, Alex volunteers on the Advisory Board of the Association of Commercial Space Professionals.

In his personal life, Alex is an enthusiastic dad and proud spouse of a public health professional. A native Coloradan and mustang trainer, Alex now lives in Washington, D.C. and is an avid recreational scuba diver. His particular diving interests are World War II–era wreck dives off the coasts of New Jersey and North Carolina, dive team dynamics and safety, and taking selfies with sharks.