Rachel Taow

Process Modernization Lead, Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN), Idaho National Laboratory

2022 C3E Law & Finance Award Winner

Rachel Taow develops and implements strategies to modernize public–private partnerships to provide industry with efficient access to U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratory resources, with a focus on commercializing nuclear technology. She is passionate about nuclear energy’s role in achieving clean economies globally, fighting climate change, and reaching the national goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. Deploying advanced nuclear power will position the United States as a clean technology leader and strategic partner at a critical moment in the global clean energy transition. Upgrades to public–private partnership agreements are crucial to these outcomes, as many laws and practices concerning government research funding are not directly applicable to the commercialization of new nuclear technology. Taow spearheaded a new agreement model to facilitate multi-laboratory public–private partnerships. She also contributed to the recommendation and adoption of infrastructure legislation, passed in 2021, that includes a statutory extension (from five years to thirty years) for protecting data developed under public–private research agreements. Additionally, she contributed to the recommendation and adoption of a DOE advanced patent class waiver.

Prior to her career in government contracting, Taow served in the U.S. Army for nine years as a Persian Farsi linguist and Intelligence Analyst. Taow cultivated her passion for nuclear energy while leading proposal efforts for research and development grants at her alma mater, Idaho State University. As a current law student, she is participating in a new hybrid online Intellectual Property Juris Doctor degree program at New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law.

+ Learn More About Rachel Taow's Clean Energy Journey

You might think that passion and paperwork can’t go hand in hand, but Rachel Taow is out to prove you wrong. After 16 years of working in the government contracting space, she is more committed than ever to streamlining systems, changing culture, and finding ways to deliver more clean energy via nuclear power across the United States through public-private partnerships. A sense of urgency motivates Rachel because the next decade is critical to developing advanced nuclear power, a key component of a decarbonized future.

For the past six years, Rachel has worked with scientists and policy experts on behalf of Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) to increase access to funding for research necessary to develop advanced nuclear in the United States. The funding is significant: The U.S. Department of Energy has invested $62 billion in nuclear research. GAIN leverages funding by developing partnerships between government entities and the private sector. That requires skill, experience, and creativity, an approach key to Rachel’s success. To Rachel, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to government contracting. These approaches require an open mind to allow for collaboration that gets the best results.

As an agent of change, Rachel has worked to improve and grow her own skills to be more effective in her role at GAIN. Inspired by her leaders and mentors, she is currently pursuing a law degree at the University of New Hampshire. By increasing her knowledge of the law, she will be able to further improve the contracting process.