April 13, 2005 — A director and scientific director have been named for the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS), a nanoscale research facility that is in its final stages of construction at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Linda Horton will direct the new nanoscience center, which is one of five planned by DOE's Office of Science and the first to be completed. Doug Lowndes will serve as the center's scientific director. Both have worked closely with the project throughout its proposal and construction stages.
The CNMS sits adjacent to the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS). Experiments from the CNMS will be ready for neutron analysis when the SNS, which will be the world's leading neutron science facility, comes on line in 2006.
"As we prepare for the transition from construction to full operations it is critically important to appoint the strongest leadership team, and we have that in Linda and Doug," said ORNL Director Jeff Wadsworth.
Horton, who is currently manager of ORNL's Basic Energy Sciences Materials and Engineering Physics program, has served as the CNMS's project director during construction. She will oversee all aspects of the center and work with Lowndes to insure the overall success of the center.
"Linda has led various reviews and coordinated all operational aspects of the CNMS. As a result, she has earned the highest respect of program managers and the CNMS staff, making her exceptionally well-qualified for this position," said Michelle Buchanan, associate laboratory director for Physical Sciences. Lowndes, a UT-Battelle corporate fellow and senior researcher in the Condensed Matter Sciences Division, led the proposal to bring the CNMS to Oak Ridge and has overseen the center's user program, which already has more than 70 projects in progress.
"Doug, who has been key to the development of the CNMS since its conception, will focus on the continued growth of a strong scientific program as scientific director," said Buchanan.
Horton resides in Oak Ridge with her husband, Joe. They have three children.
Lowndes lives in Knoxville with his wife, Gayle. They have two children.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a multiprogram laboratory managed for the Department of Energy by UT-Battelle.