Thomas Zacharia, deputy director for science and technology at the Energy Department‘s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been named director of ORNL effective July 1.
DOE said Thursday the board of governors of UT-Batelle — a joint venture of Battelle and the University of Tennessee — unanimously elected Zacharia to succeed Thom Mason as director.
UT-Battelle manages and operates ORNL on behalf of DOE.
“Dr. Zacharia has proven success with academic partnerships, broad-based scientific experience, and an exceptional skill set for building relationships,” said Energy Secretary Rick Perry.
Zacharia currently serves as a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of Tennessee, where he has also worked as vice president of science and technology.
He previously served as chairman of the Qatar Science & Technology Park, a business park that focuses on technology incubation and acceleration.
Zacharia originally joined ORNL in 1987 as a postdoctoral researcher and has since held various roles at the laboratory including deputy laboratory director, associate laboratory director and director of the computer science and mathematics division.
