From the Director: Interim Leadership for SSRL and Photon Science

November 2, 2012

Yesterday, I began my new role as SLAC Director, picking up where Norbert Holtkamp capably left off after his short time as interim laboratory director. The 10 days since Stanford President John Hennessey named me SLAC’s next director have been full of activity, but now the real work begins.

As promised in my column last week, the first thing I want to do is to address the vacancies left by my appointment. These include the roles of associate laboratory director (ALD) for the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL), acting ALD for Photon Science and acting director of Photon Science’s Chemical Science Division. 

As I said last week, these positions are critical to SLAC’s current and future success. That’s why I plan to hold a search for the best candidates to fill these roles. We all know from the recent director’s search that completing a diligent search takes time. So effective immediately, the following individuals will step in to provide steady leadership through this transition.

First, for SSRL, I have asked Piero Pianetta to serve as interim ALD in addition to his current role as deputy director. Not only has Piero held a leadership position at SSRL for the past 30 years, but he also filled the role of acting director prior to my arrival in 2010. His extensive knowledge of the SSRL organization, the user community and the strategic directions we have developed make him the clear choice for leading the team at this time.

For Photon Science, Tom Devereaux will step in as interim ALD while maintaining his position as director of the Materials Science Division (MSD) and director of SIMES, the Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences. Tom joined SLAC in 2007 and served as acting director for MSD before taking the reins earlier this year. He has provided leadership in defining and executing the growth strategy for MSD over the last few years. I know Tom will apply his tremendous scientific vision and outstanding leadership to help define the growth of the Photon Science Directorate. 

Also in Photon Science, I have asked Jens Nørskov, currently director of the SUNCAT Center for Interface Science and Catalysis, to take on the additional role of acting director for the Chemical Science Division. Jens joined SLAC in 2010 and has brought a great vision of “materials by design” to SLAC and Stanford. His scientific leadership is incredibly respected not only at SLAC and on campus, but also worldwide. I am confident he will provide the leadership that is needed for the Chemical Science Division. 

I would like to sincerely thank Piero, Tom and Jens for their willingness to take on dual roles for the benefit of the lab. Please offer them your full support as we search for permanent leadership in these important areas.

The past two years at SSRL have taught me a lot about SLAC and our incredible staff, but there’s still more to learn and new staff to get to know. One of the best ways for me to learn is to hear from you. I strongly encourage you to reach out to me with your questions and ideas in the coming weeks.

I, in turn, will be asking questions of you and doing a lot of listening and learning. I look forward to hearing from you as we work together to take the lab to greater heights.