ORNL names Lawrence Berkeley’s Susan Hubbard as deputy for Science and Technology

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory recently appointed Susan Hubbard, currently of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, as the new Deputy for Science and Technology, effective March 1, 2022.

“It is a profound honor and privilege to be named as the Deputy for Science and Technology at ORNL,” Hubbard, formerly an associate laboratory director of Berkeley’s earth and environmental sciences area, said. “ORNL has a stunning breadth, depth, and history of transformational fundamental science discoveries, technological advances, and innovative solutions to the most pressing challenges facing our nation. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to help shape the lab’s future and its contributions to the DOE mission.”

Hubbard will tackle ORNL’s research portfolio in her new role, promoting computing and computational sciences, materials science, environmental and biological research, energy science and technology, isotope research and development, fission and fusion energy, and neutron sciences, and national security sciences. In her former role, she led explorations into sustaining a growing population through water, energy, mineral, environmental quality, and food needs.

While serving as deputy for ORNL, she will also continue work as a senior scientist at Berkeley Lab and as a full professor adjunct in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management at the University of California at Berkeley.

“Dr. Hubbard brings skilled and passionate leadership that will enable world-leading impact across our portfolio,” ORNL Director Thomas Zacharia said. “She is a true champion of the DOE mission, the National Laboratory System, and our responsibility to leverage powerful user facilities and multidisciplinary teams in the national interest.”

In large part, Hubbard’s research over the years has focused on advancing geophysical methods of shallow subsurface characterization and monitoring, as well as using integrated datasets to investigate environmental issues. Hubbard is a prolific author in her field, having pioneered the discipline of hydrogeophysics, according to DOE, and published more than 150 papers on the topic, as well as editing the first book on the topic.