Interim Laboratory Director
Jeff Smith is serving as interim director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). He previously served 21 years as ORNL’s Deputy for Operations, retiring in April 2021. As deputy for operations, Mr. Smith led a $400 million modernization effort, which resulted in the most new construction at the Laboratory since the Manhattan Project. Under Mr. Smith’s leadership, UT-Battelle used partnerships with the State of Tennessee, private-sector financing, and innovative approaches to optimize federal resources to transform ORNL. In support of this transformation, Mr. Smith also serves as the president of UT-Battelle Development Corporation, a not-for-profit focused on the development of facilities to support the Lab’s mission.
Deputy for Science and Technology
Susan Hubbard guides one of the nation’s most extensive portfolios of research and development, spanning computing and computational sciences, materials science, environmental and biological research, energy science and technology, isotope research and development, fission and fusion energy, neutron sciences, and national security sciences. In concert with the Deputy for Laboratory Operations, she supports the Laboratory Director in the planning, integration, and execution of Laboratory-level initiatives.
Deputy for Operations
Deputy for Laboratory Operations Dr. Balendra Sutharshan coordinates overall operations and support functions at ORNL: facilities operations; environment, safety, and health; business operations; security; human resources; communications; and technology transfer. In concert with the Deputy Director of Science and Technology, Sutharshan supports the Laboratory Director in the planning, integration, and execution of Laboratory-level initiatives as ORNL’s chief operating officer.
Chief of Staff
Lindsey Twardy is Chief of Staff at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. In this role, she serves as an advisor to the Laboratory Director and helps to integrate leadership across ORNL to advance the Lab’s vision, fulfill mission objectives, and ensure operational effectiveness.
Associate Laboratory Director for Neutron Sciences
Ken Andersen brings extensive experience to the neutron scattering research and user programs at ORNL. He joined ORNL from the European Spallation Source in Sweden, where he led the Neutron Instruments Division and oversaw the selection and construction of instruments from conceptual development through design, procurement, installation and commissioning. Andersen previously led the Neutron Optics Laboratory at Institut Laue Langevin and has commissioned and operated neutron scattering instruments at both ILL and the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in the United Kingdom.
Interim General Counsel
Ivan Boatner is the lab’s interim general counsel. He has over 25 years of legal experience in the Department of Energy and government contracting sector. His goal is to provide prompt, proactive, and practical advice to ensure UT-Battelle can effectively achieve its business objectives while mitigating risks and ensuring compliance with laws, regulations, and contracts.
Chief Financial Officer
Chief Financial Officer for UT-Battelle since April 2011, Scott received a B.S. from Concord College (now Concord University) and an MBA from Auburn University. He is also a certified public accountant. Before joining UT-Battelle as Chief Audit Executive in 2000, Scott served as Chief Audit Officer for Oak Ridge Associated Universities and as an auditor for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Inspector General.
associate laboratory director for Isotope Science and Engineering
Dr. Busby is the Associate Laboratory Director for the Isotope Science and Engineering Directorate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. His technical contributions range from light water reactors to sodium reactors and space reactor systems as well as research in support of the ITER project.
Associate Laboratory Director for Physical Sciences
Cynthia Jenks stewards ORNL’s broad physical sciences portfolio, with particular emphases on quantum materials; structural materials and alloys; soft materials; nanoscience; and applications of materials and chemistry in energy and security.
Director of Communications
As Director of Communications, David is responsible for external and internal communications, community relations, and protocol visits for Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Associate Laboratory Director for National Security Sciences
Dr. Moe Khaleel guides the research and development of science-based solutions to counter critical threats to public safety, national defense, energy infrastructure and the economy. Leveraging the broad science foundation at ORNL, he oversees the work of multi-disciplinary research teams with signature capabilities in nuclear and uranium science, high-performance computing, geographic information science, cyber security science and advanced manufacturing.
Associate Laboratory Director for Computing and Computational Sciences
Exascale Computing Project Director
Doug has more than three decades of experience in conducting and leading applied R&D in computational applications designed to simulate complex physical phenomena in the energy, defense, and manufacturing sectors.
Associate Laboratory Director for Biological and Environmental Systems Science
As ORNL’s Associate Laboratory Director for Biological and Environmental Systems Science, Paul Langan stewards a research portfolio targeting the convergence of biology, ecology, engineering, data discovery, physical sciences, and computing to advance U.S. competitiveness in the global bioeconomy and Earth system sustainability.
Interim Director, Environment, Safety, Health, and Quality
David Mandl is the interim director of Environment, Safety, Health and Quality (ESH&Q) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. In this position, he oversees an organization that broadly supports ORNL through expertise in engineering management, environmental protection, health services, nuclear and radiological protection, performance analysis, safety, technical training, and waste management. Prior to joining ORNL as the ESH&Q attorney in 2009, he spent 10 years in private practice at two global law firms representing commercial clients in environmental, health, and safety matters.
US ITER Project Director
Kathy McCarthy joined ORNL after three years as vice president for science and technology and laboratory director for the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, where she oversaw a staff of 650 and grew the labs’ commercial work. She previously held a variety of engineering and leadership roles at Idaho National Laboratory, including director of domestic programs in INL’s Nuclear Science and Technology Directorate, director of the Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program Technical Integration Office, and national technical director for the Systems Analysis Campaign for DOE Nuclear Energy’s Fuel Cycle R&D Program.
Director, Second Target Station Project
Graeme Murdoch is the interim project director for the Second Target Station. He has over 35 years of progressive experience working in technical and management capacities in a particle accelerator and fusion engineering environment.
Federal Affairs Director
Tyler Owens is federal affairs director at ORNL. In this role, he serves as ORNL’s senior representative and chief liaison to government officials, industry, think tanks, and university representatives in Washington, D.C. He provides guidance to the laboratory director to develop and execute strategies that best position ORNL in the evolving federal policy environment. He is also responsible for presenting ORNL’s priorities to Congress, the administration, and federal agencies.
Chief Audit Executive
Fred, who has served as a chief audit executive for 14 years, leads the Internal Audit Directorate, which is responsible for all audit activities and the Employee Concerns Program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The organization provides independent, objective assurance and consulting services to improve the effectiveness of risk management, internal control, and governance processes through evaluations of ORNL management systems, processes, and programs. The organization also provides an anonymous and confidential avenue for staff to raise concerns and oversees the investigation of those concerns.
Interim Associate Laboratory Director, Energy Science and Technology
As ORNL’s Interim Associate Laboratory Director (ALD) for the Energy Science and Technology Directorate, Rick Raines leads a $305 million research portfolio focused on translating science into solutions for the most critical problems facing society at the nexus of energy and security.
Director of Facilities and Operations
Jimmy is Director of the Facilities and Operations Directorate at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. He manages seven divisions that provide critical laboratory support services. These include facility operations, laboratory protection, engineering and construction management, materials fabrication, site services, logistical functions, and craft services.
Director of Information Technology Services
Kris Torgerson joined Oak Ridge National Lab in February of 2017 as Deputy Chief Information Officer and subsequently became Director of ITSD in October of 2017. He was promoted to Chief Information Officer in September of 2018. In this position, he is responsible for all commodity technology delivery as well as strategy, cyber security, and supports privacy program delivery for the Laboratory.
Associate Laboratory Director,
Fusion and Fission Energy and Science
Mickey Wade was named Associate Laboratory Director for the Fusion and Fission Energy and Science Directorate in April 2023. Before that, he served as Division Director for Fusion Energy for three years. Wade recently served as deputy director of the Magnetic Fusion Energy Division for General Atomics and has extensive experience in fusion energy research, programmatic development, and strategic planning.
Director of Human Resources
Jody Zahn is the Human Resources Director at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and oversees the talent acquisition, talent services, labor relations, benefits, diversity, immigration, employee and organizational development, and compensation functions at the laboratory.