Darby Dunn

How This “Mother of Dragons” Is Unlocking Unlimited Clean Energy

You’re probably doing something right if your colleagues call you the “Mother of Dragons” after one of the fiercest women in Game of Thrones. That’s what happened to Darby Dunn when she was leading the construction of the new manufacturing facilities for the SpaceX Dragon, the first private spacecraft to take humans to the space station. Now, Dunn is working on a new mission: nuclear fusion. As the Vice President of Advanced Manufacturing & Production Strategy at Commonwealth Fusion Systems, she’s part of a team attempting to commercialize nuclear fusion as an energy source. (If nuclear fusion succeeds, it could provide unlimited clean energy on Earth.) The company is now one step closer to making that a reality: Commonwealth Fusion Systems announced in December of last year that it plans to build the world’s first grid-scale fusion power plant in Virginia, with the aim of generating zero-emissions electricity there in the early 2030s. In 2024, Dunn snagged a spot on Fast Company’s Queer 50 list, which includes some of the most influential LGBTQIA+ leaders in business, tech, and beyond.

By Audrey Goodson Kingo