Nicholas D'Imperio Named Associate Laboratory Director for Computing and Data Sciences at Brookhaven Lab

August 31, 2026

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Nick D'Imperio, new Computing and Data Sciences ALD (Tim Kuhn/Brookhaven National Laboratory)

UPTON, N.Y. — The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory has named Nicholas (Nick) D'Imperio as associate laboratory director (ALD) of the Lab’s Computing and Data Sciences (CDS) directorate. The move recognizes D'Imperio’s expertise and service in high-performance computing (HPC), scientific software development, and strategic infrastructure planning that are integral to the Lab’s computing research enterprise.

D’Imperio served as the interim CDS ALD since 2024, leading the expansion of the former Computational Science Initiative and integration of the Scientific Data and Computing Center into the new directorate. He oversees 158 CDS staff members and continues to guide the directorate’s role in artificial intelligence, advanced computing, and data-intensive science to support Brookhaven Lab’s scientific programs and DOE Office of Science user facilities, including the National Synchrotron Light Source II, Center for Functional Nanomaterials, and future Electron-Ion Collider. His leadership also involves positioning the Lab’s computing capabilities to contribute directly to DOE’s emerging priorities, such as the Genesis Mission, the national effort to harness AI to accelerate scientific discovery, strengthen national security, and advance energy innovation.

“Nick has demonstrated exceptional leadership, technical vision, and clear understanding of the scientific and operational challenges and opportunities in modern computational research,” said Brookhaven National Laboratory Director John Hill. “As Brookhaven Lab expands into new areas of AI, advanced computing, and data-driven science, I have every confidence Nick will position the Computing and Data Sciences directorate to play a central role in advancing DOE’s critical scientific missions and enabling discoveries across the Laboratory’s research portfolio.”

D’Imperio joined Brookhaven Lab in 2000 as a physics associate, developing highly parallel, scalable simulations for particle accelerator design and electrodynamics. Over the next two decades, he assumed increasingly senior leadership positions, including group leader for the New York Center for Computational Science, where he oversaw planning, deployment, and operation of New York Blue, the IBM Blue Gene L once ranked fifth on the TOP500 list of the world’s fastest supercomputers in 2007. He later led Brookhaven’s HPC Code Center, directed the Laboratory’s HPC Group, and served as chair of the Computational Science Lab, where he led multidisciplinary teams developing and optimizing scientific applications for next-generation DOE supercomputing systems.

“I am honored to serve as CDS ALD at a time when advanced computing and AI are transforming how we approach science, where there are opportunities to accelerate discovery in ways that were unimaginable even just a few years ago,” D’Imperio said. “Brookhaven Lab has a well-known passion for discovery sustained by an exceptional foundation of talent, world-class facilities, and collaborations across every scientific discipline. I look forward to working with our researchers and partners to further expand our computational science portfolio and strengthen our AI and HPC capabilities.”

D’Imperio earned a B.S. in physics from Stony Brook University and an M.S. in computer science from the New York Institute of Technology.

Brookhaven National Laboratory is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit science.energy.gov.

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