Jefferson Lab names next director

The Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility has named a new director, Kim Sawyer, who will replace Stuart Henderson, the lab’s director since 2017.  Sawyer will start her new post at the Newport News facility Aug. 2, according to a Jefferson Science Associates news release Monday.

Having previously served as deputy laboratory director and chief operating officer at Argonne National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories, Sawyer worked for Lockheed Martin before joining the U.S. Department of Energy.  She holds a master’s degree in mathematics and computing from the University of Massachusetts Lowell and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Robert Morris University.

The Jefferson Lab is in the midst of some significant projects. In October 2023, the DOE announced that the laboratory will lead a $300 million to $500 million data science computing hub, the High Performance Data Facility hub, that will make scientific data more accessible nationwide. The project will include the building of a data center that is expected to be operational by fiscal 2028. Also, researchers at the lab are working on a project to eliminate harmful chemicals — known as “forever chemicals” — in drinking water over the next two years.

Sawyer will succeed Stuart Henderson, who recently announced he will step down as lab director. An accelerator physicist, he was instrumental in developing the Electron-Ion Collider and the HPDF hub, among other projects.

“We are pleased that Kim has been selected to lead Jefferson Lab,” said Sean J. Hearne, president and CEO of Southeastern Universities Research Association and chairman of the JSA Board of Directors. “Kim is a respected professional who has achieved success driving cultural change and building strong relationships with stakeholders. Kim delivers results, and we are confident her leadership and technical acumen will guide the lab as it begins its evolution to a multi-program laboratory.”