16 - Lee Robinson of General Matter: Revitalizing American Uranium Enrichment

In this Special Episode of the Advanced Nuclear podcast, Lee Robinson, a founding member of America's newest uranium enrichment provider, General Matter, speaks about the company's mission to bring new uranium enrichment capacity to the nation. Lee discusses the importance of domestic uranium enrichment, the use of innovation to dramatically lower General Matter's deployment costs, and announces the location of the company's first enrichment facility, as well as the rationale for selecting that site. Lee also shares a variety of insights about the company's technology development, manufacturing, and supply chain strategies, why General Matter was founded, the company's initial production focus, and his nuclear experiences at DOD's Defense Innovation Unit, where he oversaw DIU's broad energy portfolio, including the stand-up of an innovative microreactor deployment program.Before joining General Matter, Lee was the Deputy Director and Co-Founder of the energy portfolio at the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU). In that role, he was responsible for launching the majority of DIU's 35 energy projects, including the Advanced Micro-Reactor initiative in 2024.Prior to DIU, Lee worked at Bridgewater Associates, advising some of Europe’s largest institutional investors on strategic asset allocation. He began his investment career in private credit, leading middle-market transactions across the energy and manufacturing sectors.Between his roles in private credit and Bridgewater, Lee joined the U.S. Army as an intelligence officer. His active-duty assignments included the 75th Ranger Regiment, Special Operations Command, and the Intelligence Community.Lee holds a Bachelor's degree from Pace University and an MBA from Fordham University. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charter holder.