LOS ALAMOS, N.M.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The National Nuclear Security Administration has initiated the management transition process at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) by issuing an official notice to proceed and Triad National Security LLC announced the start of transition today. The launch of transition activities is an important milestone in the process of shifting operational responsibilities to the laboratory’s new management team.
After a four-month transition period to ensure the continuity of safe and secure operations at the laboratory, Triad will assume full management and operational responsibility for the laboratory on November 1, 2018.
LANL is one of the nation’s premier national security science laboratories, applying world-class scientific and technical expertise to solve complex nuclear security and energy challenges. As operator of the laboratory, Triad will manage its technical facilities and staff and oversee a diverse range of basic and applied research programs in support of LANL’s critical national security missions.
During this phase of strategic transition for the laboratory, the Triad team has named Dr. Thomas Mason to serve as director designate of LANL and president of Triad. Mason will work closely with the laboratory’s current director, Dr. Terry Wallace, to ensure a smooth transition between operating teams. Mason’s appointment as director will become effective November 1, 2018.
Mason currently serves as senior vice president for Global Laboratory Operations at Battelle Memorial Institute. From May 2007 to July 2017, Mason was director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Mason also worked as associate lab director for the Department of Energy’s Spallation Neutron Source and for Oak Ridge’s Neutron Sciences Directorate. Prior to joining Oak Ridge in 1998, he was a faculty member in the department of physics at the University of Toronto.
“It is a tremendous honor to be selected as director-designate of one of the world’s leading scientific institutions, which is working at the forefront of science to solve complex nuclear security and energy challenges,” said Mason. “I look forward to working closely with NNSA, the current management team, laboratory staff and community members to carry out a seamless transition that advances the laboratory’s long legacy of scientific excellence in service to the nation.”
Triad has also named the following individuals to serve in senior leadership positions at LANL: Robert Webster, Ph.D., as deputy director of weapons; John Sarrao, Ph.D., as deputy director of science, technology and engineering; Kelly Beierschmitt, Ph.D., as deputy director of operations; and Frances Chadwick, as the laboratory’s staff director. Biographies for these directors are available on the Triad website.
In addition to ensuring the integrity of the laboratory’s scientific enterprise and its safe and secure operation, Triad is committed to building strong partnerships in Northern New Mexico by investing in local educational and economic development programs as well as charitable organizations.
More information about Triad can be found on the team’s website, triadns.org. The site will be updated regularly with additional information as the transition process progresses.
About Triad National Security LLC
Triad National Security LLC is comprised of Battelle, the Texas A&M University System and the University of California, with two integrated subcontractors (Fluor and Huntington Ingalls Industries) and three small business subcontractors (Longenecker & Associates, Merrick-SMSI and TechSource). The Triad team brings world-class expertise in lab management, nuclear operations, national security, and scientific research to support and enhance the work of Los Alamos National Laboratory. Learn more at triadns.org.
