Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Jan. 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — LIS Technologies Inc. (“LIST” or “the Company”), a proprietary developer of advanced laser technology and the only USA-origin and patented laser uranium enrichment company, today announced that Kirk D. Rector, Ph.D., has been appointed as its Director of Medical and Stable Isotopes.
Dr. Kirk D. Rector is a physical chemist and technology leader with more than twenty-five years of experience spanning medical and stable isotope production, ultrafast laser spectroscopy, forensics, and nuclear materials science.
“I am very pleased to join LIST at this crucial junction in the Company’s mission to rebirth the CRISLA technology,” said Dr. Kirk D. Rector, Director, Medical and Stable Isotope of LIS Technologies Inc. “CRISLA is well positioned to not only help rebuild America’s nuclear fuel supply chain but also play a major role in the creation of key materials for medical and stable isotope production. Reducing waste, improving efficiency and supporting the build back of American’s capabilities, the CRISLA technology has immense potential to strengthen domestic isotope production infrastructure. I am delighted to take an active role in shaping the future of this Company’s radioisotope strategy and look forward to working with the world class team assembled at LIS Technologies.”
From 1999 to 2025, Dr. Rector held a series of scientific and technical leadership roles at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), most recently Program Director for the US Department of Energy (DOE) Isotope Program at LANL. In this role, he oversaw Mission Essential radioisotope production across dozens of isotopes, including the recovery and harvesting of critically needed, high-value radioisotopes from nuclear waste streams. He directed facilities’ readiness activities at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE), LANL’s PF-4 nuclear plant, and LANL’s RC-1 hot cell-based radiological facility. He led an extensive R&D program supporting half a dozen Principal Investigators focusing on each phase of isotope production, bringing new isotopes production methods and applications to the market through DOE’s National Isotope Development Center. For this work, he was awarded the 2024 Department of Energy Secretary’s Honor Award for Actinium-225 Tri-Lab Research Team. He also serves DOE as an independent expert reviewer of numerous Capital Line Item Projects and efforts.
Figure 1 – LIS Technologies Inc. Appoints 25 Year Plus Veteran and Distinguished U.S. National Laboratory Leader Dr. Kirk D. Rector as Director of its Medical and Stable Isotopes.
“Kirk’s addition strengthens our leadership team, reinforces our “can do” mindset and enhances our ability to better leverage the proprietary, U.S-origin CRISLA technology,” said Jay Yu, Executive Chairman and CEO of LIS Technologies Inc. “Beyond uranium enrichment, CRISLA can support the production of medical and stable isotopes that are critical to healthcare, semiconductor chips, critical minerals, research and industrial applications. This capability and Kirk’s addition to the team presents a meaningful opportunity to broaden our addressable markets while supporting the United States’ domestic goals.”
Previously, Dr. Rector served as Group Leader for the Physical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy Group with teams spanning Remote Sensing Applications, Nanotechnology and Advanced Spectroscopy, Thermo, Kinetics, and Dynamics, Terrestrial, Atmospheric and Space Science, and Chemistry for Biomedical Applications. A key highlight of work executed in his group was the development and operation of instrumentation on the Curiosity and Perseverance Rovers on Mars. Over his LANL scientific career, Dr. Rector led or co‑led programs for the Department of Energy, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense, Department of Treasury, and other U.S. Government sponsors, covering topics from actinide chemistry, materials forensics, explosives, and optical-based security.
A recognized expert in ultrafast infrared and Raman spectroscopy, Dr. Rector holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Stanford University, with a thesis under the direction of Prof. Michael Fayer and establishing new approaches to probing vibrational dynamics in liquids, glasses, and proteins, leading to highly cited publications and invited review articles. Much of the work was at the groundbreaking Stanford Free Electron Laser (FEL), which was one of the few reliable sources of tunable ultrafast mid-infrared light. Later, he helped develop and deploy table-top picosecond Ti:Sapphire seeded and regeneratively amplified optical parametric amplifier, differential frequency generated systems as a next generation source for these types of experiments.
Dr. Rector is the author or co‑author of peer‑reviewed papers, proceedings, book chapters, and patents in spectroscopy, nuclear materials, biofuels, and nanomaterials.
“Kirk is a very knowledgeable and experienced technology leader, and it is a pleasure to welcome him to the team,” said Christo Liebenberg, President and Co-Founder of LIS Technologies Inc. “His oversight will be vital to the expansion of this program within LIST’s umbrella. The use of CRISLA in the production of stable isotopes for the semiconductor industry, and medical isotopes for the radiopharmaceutical industry, is an inherent feature of the technology, and the management of LIST believes now is the perfect time to begin a more cohesive push into this new market for the Company. I look forward to working alongside Kirk and leveraging his decades of experience leading similar projects within the nation’s national laboratory ecosystem.”