Newport News’ Jefferson Lab appoints new director

The U.S. Department of Energy‘s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in Newport News, commonly known as Jefferson Lab, will soon have new leadership.

The Newport News-based lab announced Wednesday that Jens Dilling has been appointed as its next director, effective June 30. He is succeeding Kimberly Sawyer, who has held the role since August 2024 and recently announced she is stepping down.

“I’m honored to join Jefferson Lab at such an exciting time,” Dilling said in a statement. “The lab has an extraordinary legacy in nuclear physics and accelerator science, and I look forward to working with its exceptional staff to advance discovery, innovation and excellence in operations in service of the nation’s scientific mission.

Dilling most recently was the associate laboratory director for neutron sciences at Tennessee’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), leading research at the High Flux Isotope Reactor and the Spallation Neutron Source. At ORNL, he led efforts to improve the lab’s capabilities in quantum information science and material sciences. He also developed the science drivers for the SNS Second Target Station, a new $2 billion DOE project.

Before ORNL, Dilling spent more than 20 years at TRIUMF, Canada’s national particle accelerator center, overseeing molecular and material sciences as well as the science and user programs in nuclear and particle physics.

Dilling holds a doctorate in physics from the University of Heidelberg in Germany and is a fellow of the American Physical Society, as well as a DOE Oppenheimer Leadership Fellow. He has also been involved with numerous international advisory boards and scientific committees.

“Jens is an outstanding scientist and leader whose vision and experience make him the ideal person to guide Jefferson Lab into the future,” Sean J. Hearne, president and CEO of the Southeastern Universities Research Association, said in a statement. SURA operates Jefferson Lab through a limited liability company, Jefferson Science Associates.

In March, the DOE announced that Secretary of Energy Chris Wright approved a 12-month extension of the contract for Jefferson Science Associates to continue managing and operating the Jefferson Lab in Newport News after its contract was initially set to expire May 31. The department said in March it anticipates initiating a competition for a new contract during the third quarter of fiscal 2025.

Jefferson Lab is one of 17 DOE national laboratories and is home to the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility, which supports the research of more than 1,650 scientists worldwide.