The following is a memo from Director Sam Aronson to Brookhaven National Laboratory employees.

Transition

Later today, you’ll see a statement from Brookhaven Science Associates announcing that they will initiate a search for my successor as Lab Director. I want to share with you the thinking behind my decision to step down when a new director is named, hopefully by the end of this year.

In 2012, I will complete my sixth year as Director and my eleventh year in senior management at the Laboratory. When I accepted a senior management role at the Lab, I planned to serve for five years and then return to research. I willingly delayed my return to a scientific position for the chance to lead the Lab in new directions and to oversee critical improvements to our operations. It is now time for a new Director with a longer time horizon to take on the challenges and opportunities of the next decade. My plan is to return to a research position and to continue to contribute to the Laboratory’s mission in science and technology, discovery and innovation.

As long as I remain Director, I will keep a tight focus on pivotal science and operations issues, in order to leave the Lab in the best shape possible for the future – a focus that will require the continued support and participation of all of you and our strong leadership team as we continue to strive for excellence in research, operations, and stakeholder engagement. In particular, we need to make sure that:

  • NSLS-II continues its excellent progress toward completion of construction and transition to operations
  • RHIC continues to operate in an outstanding manner and produce great science for many years
  • Our energy strategy grows its scope and impact both regionally and nationally; and
  • Our operations get back on the path to excellence

In order to succeed in reaching these goals, we will need to respond to tough budget challenges, address the issues that impact our operational performance, and pursue opportunities for new and expanded research programs.

Over the last six years we have overcome many challenges and built a remarkable “One Lab” team. We have made many internationally recognized discoveries, developed a strategic plan grounded in our acknowledged R&D capabilities, built state-of-the-art science facilities, and significantly expanded our regional impact in terms of innovation and deployment of our technologies. We have worked hard and have positioned ourselves for even greater success in the future.

I am very proud of the accomplishments we have made together. Over the next several months, I look forward to our working together to accelerate the drive toward our vision of greatness for Brookhaven. I know I can count on your support and I appreciate it.

2012-2907  |  INT/EXT  |  Newsroom