Gruzalski replaces Dr. Thomas M. Rossell, who has accepted a position with ORNL's Office of Science and Technology Partnerships as the Energy Research Laboratory Technology Applications program manager.
Gruzalski obtained his doctorate from the University of Nebraska in 1977. After spending two years at Harvard University, he joined ORNL's Solid State Division, where he has been a research staff member since 1980.
Following a decade-long investigation of transition-metal carbides, he joined the team responsible for developing the thin-film lithium battery, which has won several awards and patents, including DOE's 1994 Materials Science Research Award.
Gruzalski and his wife, Peggy, have three children, Jacob, 21; Anna, 16; and Mary, 13.
ORNL, one of DOE's multiprogram national research and development facilities, is managed by Lockheed Martin Energy Systems, which also manages the Oak Ridge K-25 Site and the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant.