Gunnar Randers was a Norwegian physicist.

He was employed at the Mount Wilson Observatory

Mount Wilson Observatory

The Mount Wilson Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The MWO is located on Mount Wilson, a 5,715 foot peak in the San Gabriel Mountains near Pasadena, northeast of Los Angeles...

 from 1939 to 1940, and at the Yerkes Observatory

Yerkes Observatory

Yerkes Observatory is an astronomical observatory operated by the University of Chicago in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. The observatory, which calls itself "the birthplace of modern astrophysics," was founded in 1897 by George Ellery Hale and financed by Charles T. Yerkes...

 from 1940 to 1941. From 1942 to 1945 he was a part of the Technical Committee of the Norwegian High Command

Norwegian High Command

The Norwegian High Command was Norway's top military leadership from 1970 to 2003. It was first established in Northern Norway in 1940 by General Otto Ruge. It was then re-established by the Norwegian Government-in-exile in London in 1942, lasting until 1946...

, together with scientists such as Svein Rosseland

Svein Rosseland

Svein Rosseland was a Norwegian astrophysicist and a pioneer in the field of theoretical astrophysics. -Biography:...

, Leif Tronstad

Leif Tronstad

Leif Hans Larsen Tronstad DSO, OBE was a Norwegian scientist, intelligence officer and military organizer. He graduated from the Norwegian Institute of Technology in 1927 and was a prolific researcher and writer of academic publications...

 and Helmer Dahl

Helmer Dahl

Helmer Hartmann Dahl was a Norwegian engineer.He graduated as an engineer from the Norwegian Institute of Technology in 1931, and was hired at the Chr. Michelsen Institute in 1935. From 1942 to 1945 he was in exile in the United Kingdom...

. The Technical Committee is considered as the precursor to the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment

Norwegian Defence Research Establishment

The Norwegian Defence Research Establishment is a research institute that conducts research and development on behalf of the Norwegian Armed Forces and provides expert advice to political and military defence leaders...

, established in 1946. Randers worked a few years at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment, but in 1948 he was hired at the newly established Institute for Energy Technology

Institute for Energy Technology

Institute for Energy Technology was established in 1948 as the Institute for Nuclear Energy . The name was changed in 1980. Its main office is at Kjeller, Norway, and slightly under half of the institute’s activities are based in Halden...

. Together with Odd Dahl he was a leading force in building the nuclear reactor

Nuclear reactor

A nuclear reactor is a device to initiate and control a sustained nuclear chain reaction. Most commonly they are used for generating electricity and for the propulsion of ships. Usually heat from nuclear fission is passed to a working fluid , which runs through turbines that power either ship's...

 there. From 1968 to 1973 he was the assisting secretary general of research in NATO. From 1975 to 1980 he was the CEO of the company Scandpower.

He was the father of Jørgen Randers

Jørgen Randers

Jørgen Randers is a Norwegian academic and practitioner in the field of future studies.Randers is currently professor of climate strategy at the BI Norwegian Business School, where his work is concentrated on climate issues, scenario planning and system dynamics...

.