Stephan Streiffer, the current interim director at the Stanford University-based SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, will serve as the next director of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee starting in October, according to an announcement released on Thursday.
“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, which operates ORNL for the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE). “Throughout his career, Stephen has leveraged existing strengths to create new opportunities and partnerships that strengthen our nation’s ability to innovate and compete.”
Streiffer is a long-time national lab leader and has held several leadership roles at various national laboratory locations.
Currently, Streiffer joined SLAC last year as Stanford University’s vice president responsible for oversight of the lab. In February 2023, he was named interim director and before that, Streiffer spent 24 years in research and leadership positions at Argonne National Laboratory.
He also served as co-director of DoE’s National Virtual Biotechnology Laboratory – a consortium that included ORNL and leveraged the national labs – addressing challenges related to COVID-19 such as testing, treatment, epidemiological modeling, and supply chain bottlenecks.
“I look forward to getting to work at Oak Ridge,” Streiffer said. “Through my roles with Office of Science programs and user facilities, I’ve collaborated with ORNL and its extremely talented staff for many years. 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.”
