Director Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

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The President and the Regents of the University of California invite nominations and applications for the position of Director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (“LBNL,” “Berkeley Lab,” or “the Laboratory”). Berkeley Lab is a multidisciplinary national laboratory managed by the University of California (UC or the University) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science. It operates large‑scale scientific facilities and builds tools and interdisciplinary teams to foster groundbreaking fundamental science.

Through this distinctive approach to team science, the Lab is committed to groundbreaking research focused on discovery science and solutions for abundant and reliable energy supplies. The lab’s expertise spans materials, chemistry, physics, biology, earth and environmental science, mathematics, and computing. The appointment will be effective upon selection or at such later time as is mutually agreeable to the appointee and the University.

The Director is responsible for the overall operation and strategic direction of the Laboratory, which conducts a world‑class multidisciplinary program of research and development. The Director reports to the President of the University of California system and serves as the highest‑level management liaison with UC, DOE, other National Labs, and other public and private agencies.

To maximize the impact of the Lab’s research on society, the Director works with the Lab’s scientific leadership to provide a compelling scientific vision for the enterprise; to manage the effective performance of its research; to promote a culture of stewardship, in which everyone takes responsibility for the people, research and resources that make it possible to carry out the Lab’s mission;

and to maintain excellent relations with all external stakeholders. Specifically, the Director leads the development and integration of the Laboratory’s scientific vision, goals, and objectives. Within University policy, the Director exercises broad delegated powers in the overall leadership and administration of the Laboratory’s programs and operations, including the definition of their technical goals, the negotiation of their size and content, and the execution of these programs with the highest quality.

The Director provides overall leadership for recruiting and supporting an inclusive and highly talented workforce, which presently includes over 4,000 staff members, to execute the Laboratory’s mission. The Director must lead and maintain a robust science and operations infrastructure and champion a strong safety culture with an associated integrated safety management program. The Director is also responsible for ensuring that the DOE national user facilities hosted by Berkeley Lab are scientifically productive and remain positioned to meet the future needs of the DOE’s scientific and energy missions.

These user facilities must be managed efficiently and provide the level of service and utility required by the world’s leading researchers — more than 14,000 of whom use Berkeley Lab’s user facilities each year. The Director will also be responsible for securing philanthropic support and will seek new ways for basic and applied research to be quickly and effectively transferred to industry, assuring that Berkeley Lab continues to contribute to the economic competitiveness of the nation.

Candidates should have demonstrated success in creating, leading, and managing large scientific programs and complex organizations and should have a distinguished record of scientific and technical accomplishments. Strong leadership skills are required, including the ability to gain the confidence of leaders, scientists, and operations staff, and the ability to develop strategic relationships and partnerships with key constituents. The ideal candidate should…