Bio
Christopher (Chris) Wightman started working at ORNL as an ORAU subcontractor in January of 2017 in the Transuranium Analytical Laboratory (TAL) as a technician. His initial focus was analyzing nuclear materials via Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry. He quickly broadened his horizon to include all aspects of nuclear analytical chemistry that the TAL provides to its customers. In late 2018, Chris assumed his current role as Technical Lead for the ICP-MS subsection of TAL. He then became an UT-Battelle/ORNL employee in April 2019 as an Associate Technician in Nuclear Operations at the TAL which is now a group in the Chemical Sciences Division (CSD). In April 2021 he was reclassified as a Technical Assistant Staff Member. His ICP-MS work is essential to the TAL’s support of mission critical programs including the Pu-238 Production Project, Cf-252/Bk-249 Campaigns, Cm-244 reprocessing, Pm-147 purification and the U-233 Rescue Program, to name a few. His other work at the TAL includes dissolution of nuclear materials and chemical separations. Before working at ORNL, Chris worked for three years as a Production Chemist specializing in bulk production of pyrophoric materials at Sigma Aldrich in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. That experience has allowed him to become the Technical Lead on processing ORNL’s legacy radioactive pyrophoric metals inventory. Before working at Sigma Aldrich, Chris attended and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Chris is currently a member of the American Nuclear Society and was part of a team to be awarded the Department of Energy Secretary’s Honor Award for service and contribution to the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Radioisotope Power Systems Team.