Brian McCaffrey Named 'Engineer of the Year'

October 30, 2023

Brian McCaffrey

Congratulations to Brian McCaffrey, Facilities and Operations (F&O) Chief Engineer, for being named “2023 Engineer of the Year” by the Long Island Chapter of the New York State Society of Professional Engineers (NYSSPE). The Chapter recognized McCaffrey for his recent accomplishments at the Lab, his service to NYSSPE on the State and local levels, and his leadership in the engineering profession.

"I'm humbled and honored by this recognition from my peers and colleagues and will continue to serve the engineering profession and the Laboratory community to the best of my abilities," McCaffrey said.

McCaffrey was also a recipient of the Brookhaven Engineering Award in 2020.

As the Lab’s chief engineer, McCaffrey is primarily responsible for providing engineering design and technical support and implementing engineering policies and procedures on an institutional level. He serves as the Long Island Region vice president of NYSSPE and coordinates the Long Island Chapter's Scholarship Program for Long Island-based students enrolled in engineering programs at New York colleges and universities.

McCaffrey began his engineering career by participating in Brookhaven’s summer internship program while still an undergraduate at the University of Notre Dame. After graduation, he worked as an environmental consultant in the private sector before joining Brookhaven as a field engineer in the Environmental Restoration Division.

McCaffrey said one of his proudest accomplishments at the Lab was managing the recently completed renovation of radiological hot cells at Building 801 to produce actinium-225—a difficult-to-produce medical isotope that shows promise as an effective cancer treatment. Production of the isotope commenced in March 2023, and shipments are made multiple times a month to pharmaceutical companies and cancer treatment research institutions engaged in clinical trials. McCaffrey also supports the Department of Energy's (DOE) Isotope Program by conducting technical reviews of hot cell facilities in the design and construction phases at Los Alamos National Laboratory and Michigan State University.

McCaffrey is also a member of the team tasked with transitioning the Radiological Research & Production Lab (RRPL) at Building 801 to operating as a nuclear facility and was recently appointed to the Safety Basis/Nuclear Safety Subcommittee (SBNSS) of the Laboratory's Environment, Safety and Health Committee (LESHC).

Congratulations, Brian!

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