Adrian Paterson

Adrian "Adi" Paterson is a South African scientist and engineer best known for his work on Pebble Bed modular reactor research and development. He was CEO of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) from March 2009 till September 2020. Career Paterson was educated in South Africa, where he obtained a Bachelor in Science and Chemistry and a PhD in Engineering from the University of Cape Town. In 1984, Paterson joined South Africa's Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) as a research scientist, working on ceramic materials. He was appointed to the organisation's executive in 1994. Paterson ultimately rose to positions of Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer at CSIR. In 2001, he took a position at the Department of Science and Technology, which he held for four years. In 2006, he became General Manager of Business Development Operations at the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor Company in South Africa, and held the position until December 2008. The Company downsized significantly following his departure. In 2010, Public Enterprises Minister Barbara Hogan described the project in Parliament saying that "between 2005 and 2009, it became increasingly clear that, based on the direct-cycle electricity design, PBMR's potential investor and customer market was severely restricted, and it was unable to acquire either [investors or customers]."