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Hugh O'Neil, director or ORNL's Center for Structural Molecular Biology is sitting in the lab on a stool, hand on desk with glasses on. There are lab related items blurred in the foreground.

Hugh O’Neill’s lifelong fascination with the complexities of the natural world drives his research at ORNL, where he’s using powerful neutron beams to dive deep into the microscopic realm of biological materials and unlock secrets for better production of domestic biofuels and bioproducts.

Stock image of a person in a doctor's coat pointing to white graphics if a person, world and dots, symbolizing the artificial intelligence technology used for cancer pathology
In a major milestone for cancer research, the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory helped reduce the time between cancer diagnosis and pathology report processing from 22 months to just 14 months, utilizing advanced artificial
ORNL R&D data scientist Max Pasini is posing for a portrait with a blue background, black button up long sleeve shirt

Massimiliano (Max) Lupo Pasini, an R&D data scientist from ORNL, was awarded the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center’s High Performance Computing Achievement Award for High Impact Scientific Achievement for his work in “Groundbreaking contributions to scientific machine learning, particularly through the development of HydraGNN.”

ORNL researcher Melissa Cregger is standing outside smiling for a photo. Woman is wearing blue and white polka dot shirt with a purple cardigan.

Melissa Cregger of the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory has received the Presidential Early Career Award for Science and Engineers, or PECASE, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding early-career scientists and engineers. 

ORNL researcher Phong Le poses for a photo outside on a walkway bridge over the pond. The photo is framed with brown and green plants

Phong Le is a computational hydrologist at ORNL who is putting his skills in hydrology, numerical modeling, machine learning and high-performance computing to work quantifying water-related risks for humans and the environment. 

ORNL’s Askin Guler Yigitoglu presents during the 2024 Molten Salt Reactor Workshop in Knoxville with a green and blue background

ORNL’s annual workshop has become the premier forum for molten salt reactor, or MSR, collaboration and innovation, convening industry, academia and government experts to further advance MSR research and development. This year’s event attracted a record-breaking 365 participants from across the country, highlighting the momentum to bring MSRs online.

A picture containing indoor, equipment, control panel

A research partnership between two Department of Energy national laboratories has accelerated inspection of additively manufactured nuclear components, and the effort is now expanding to inspect nuclear fuels. 

Picture shows magnetic domains in uranium with a blue and orange organic shapes, similar to lava flowing through water, but in graphic form

The US focuses on nuclear nonproliferation, and ORNL plays a key role in this mission. The lab conducts advanced research in uranium science, materials analysis and nuclear forensics to detect illicit nuclear activities. Using cutting-edge tools and operational systems, ORNL supports global efforts to reduce nuclear threats by uncovering the history of nuclear materials and providing solutions for uranium removal. 

ORNL computing staff members Hector Suarez (middle) and William Castillo (right) talk HPC at the Tapia Conference career fair in San Diego, California. Credit: ORNL, U.S. Dept of Energy

The National Center for Computational Sciences, located at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, made a strong showing at computing conferences this fall. Staff from across the center participated in numerous workshops and invited speaking engagements.

Image is an arial view of the South Africa Cape surrounded by ocean

Scientists and land managers interested in accessing the first dataset of its kind on one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems in the world were given hands-on tutorials during a recent workshop by researchers supporting the ORNL Distributed Active Archive Center for Biogeochemical Dynamics.