Our Team

A World-Class Team, Rooted in Rwanda

ATOMi brings together Rwandan leadership and global nuclear expertise. We’re engineers, policymakers, investors, and advocates working to make nuclear energy affordable, transparent, and locally led across Africa

Stefan Marxmeier

Founder | Engineering & Finance | Kigali

Stefan Marxmeier

Founder | Engineering & Finance | Kigali

Stefan brings a background in finance and systems engineering to the development of ATOMi’s sovereign reactor model. He leads the company’s design strategy and capital structure and is based full-time in Kigali.

Julius KALIISA, PhD

Government Relations | Harvard University

Julius KALIISA, PhD

Government Relations | Harvard University

Julius KALIISA has a Master in Nuclear Policy from Oxford and is currently pursuing a PhD at Harvard on the Role of Nuclear in Africa's energy transition. He has extensive political connections in Rwanda and Africa and leads Government Relations for ATOMi.

Yona BARACK

CAD/CAE Modelling / Kigali

Yona BARACK

CAD/CAE Modelling / Kigali

Yona BARACK is a staff engineer at ATOMi focused on steam generator design and CAD modelling. He studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Rwanda where he served as the president of the student body at These Numbers Have Faces (TNHF) Rwanda

Francois HIRWA

Environmental Stewardship and Public Relations

Francois HIRWA

Environmental Stewardship and Public Relations

Hirwa Francois Regis is a staff member at ATOMi working on community engagement, permitting, licensing, and site development for our reactor projects. He studied Environmental Engineering at the University of Rwanda and is an alumnus of the Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI) in the Public Management track.

Philemon Manzi MUCYO

System Integration | Engineering & Design Lead / Kigali

Philemon Manzi MUCYO

System Integration | Engineering & Design Lead / Kigali

Philemon Manzi Mucyo Serves as a reactor system and Design Lead of ATOMis' reactor system, has a background in rocket propulsion design, flight computer development, and robotics education.

Kelly IRAKOZE NTAWIGENGA

Physics Simulation / Kigali

Kelly IRAKOZE NTAWIGENGA

Physics Simulation / Kigali

Kelly IRAKOZE is a staff engineer at ATOMi focused on multiphysics modeling and core design. He studied Civil Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Rwanda where he coached the Rwanda Informatics Olympiad.

Advisors

Hussein Bizimana

Professor, University of Rwanda

Hussein Bizimana

Professor, University of Rwanda

Dr. Hussein Bizimana is a professor at the University of Rwanda, where he leads national efforts in water resource development. With a distinguished career in environmental management, he plays a key role in Rwanda’s environmental permitting processes. Through his academic leadership, Dr. Bizimana cultivates the next generation of Rwandan engineers and scientists, enabling ATOMi to recruit the country’s brightest young minds

Ryan Pickering

Global Nuclear Energy Developer

Ryan Pickering

Global Nuclear Energy Developer

Ryan Pickering is a U.S.-based energy developer specializing in international outreach, strategic positioning, and the integration of technical and commercial frameworks for new nuclear projects. As an advisor to ATOMi, he supports global partnership development and long-term deployment strategies. His background includes investment leadership, federal energy policy, grid planning, and the design of innovative public-private partnerships to accelerate clean energy infrastructure.

Karen Pak Oppenheimer

Nonproliferation Advisor, Oppenheimer Project

Karen Pak Oppenheimer

Nonproliferation Advisor, Oppenheimer Project

Karen Pak Oppenheimer leads the Oppenheimer Project, carrying forward the legacy of J. Robert Oppenheimer with a mission to reduce the global threat of nuclear weapons while advancing the peaceful use of nuclear energy. An expert in public health, African development, and nuclear nonproliferation, Karen brings a multidisciplinary perspective to international security and sustainable development. She advises ATOMi on policy strategy, global safeguards, and the responsible expansion of nuclear energy programs across Africa, ensuring alignment with both international norms and local development goals.