ORNL's new director Stephen Streiffer brings national lab and COVID-19 leadership
Stephen K. Streiffer will be the next director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the lab announced July 27.
At ORNL, Streiffer will oversee the nation's largest science and energy laboratory, with 6,000 employees and an annual research budget of around $2.5 billion.
Streiffer is well acquainted with what it takes to lead a large national lab. The material scientist and engineer, who spent 24 years at Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois, was appointed by UT-Battelle, the company that manages ORNL for the Department of Energy. His tenure will begin in October.
Currently, Streiffer serves as interim director of SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, a DOE facility operated by Stanford University.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he also served as co-director of the DOE's National Virtual Biotechnology Laboratory, a consortium of national laboratories including ORNL that studied testing, treatment and computer modeling to address the monumental public health challenge.
“Stephen is a proven leader with diverse experience and a commitment to mission-driven research and development,” said Lou Von Thaer, CEO of Battelle and chair of UT-Battelle. “Throughout his career, Stephen has leveraged existing strengths to create new opportunities and partnerships that strengthen our nation’s ability to innovate and compete.”
ORNL's broad range of research capabilities include Frontier, the world's fastest supercomputer, and the Spallation Neutron Source, a particle accelerator that supports research in energy and transportation and broke a world record for power earlier this month.
The lab hosts nine user facilities that allow over 3,200 scientists a year from universities, private companies and other labs across the nation to conduct research in fields from biology to physics and engineering.
“Our national laboratories provide scientists with access to some of the most powerful research facilities in the world, and Stephen has been a key leader in the development of these capabilities,” said Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, director of DOE’s Office of Science. “At Oak Ridge, Stephen’s experience will help to ensure continued impact that benefits the nation and world.”
At Argonne, his career culminated in his role as deputy director for science and technology. Before that, he led the lab's physical sciences and engineering divisions and served as director of the Advanced Photon Source, a user facility currently undergoing a $815 million upgrade. From 2000 to 2009, he led development of the lab's Center for Nanoscale Materials.
“I was fortunate to work closely with Stephen at Argonne, so I’ve seen his commitment to teamwork and his ability to build support first-hand,” said Mark Peters, Battelle’s executive vice president of Laboratory Management and Operations.
Streiffer holds a doctorate degree in materials science and engineering from Stanford University and a bachelor's in materials science from Rice University.
“I’ve collaborated with ORNL and its extremely talented staff for many years," Streiffer said. "It’s a great honor to be selected as lab director and to join the team, and I’m committed to continuing the transformative role Oak Ridge has played in our nation’s scientific enterprise for almost 80 years.”
ORNL's former director, Thomas Zacharia, retired at the end of 2022 after five years as director. During his tenure, the lab advanced its supercomputing capabilities and its national security research. Jeff Smith, who retired from ORNL in April 2021 after 21 years as deputy of operations, is serving as interim director.
The months-long search for a new director was conducted by a committee of 14 scientists and leaders from ORNL and UT-Battelle, a partnership of the University of Tennessee and Battelle Memorial Institute that operates the lab.
Daniel Dassow is a reporting intern focusing on trending and business news. Phone 423-637-0878. Email daniel.dassow@knoxnews.com.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Oak Ridge National Laboratory names Stephen Streiffer new director
