After a long and thorough international search, the Molecular Foundry is excited to announce Dr. Kristin Persson is the next Director of the Molecular Foundry, effective August 15, 2020.
Kristin first came to Berkeley Lab in 2008 and has been a senior faculty scientist in the Energy Storage and Distributed Resources Division in the Energy Technologies Area. She also holds a position as Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at UC Berkeley, and will continue in this role as she joins the Foundry.
Kristin is a computational materials scientist and leads the Materials Project, a pioneering materials data facility, now serving more than 130,000 users. She is a highly-recognized scientist in high-throughput computation, materials discovery, and data science, and provides scientific leadership in several large collaborative efforts at Berkeley Lab, such as leading the Lab’s effort for the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research (JCESR).
Under her guidance, the Materials Project is now a prominent multidisciplinary program whose reach extends far beyond her own research program. Her vision for nanoscience, particularly the increased integration of computation and data across the disciplines and the Molecular Foundry’s seven facilities; her inclusive approach; and her ability to develop and build third-party support for research programs position her well to work with the Molecular Foundry and across the Energy Sciences Area and Laboratory.
Jeff Neaton, Associate Laboratory Director for Energy Sciences
Kristin is the recipient of numerous awards and accolades. In 2018, she was named a Kavli Fellow and won the Secretary of Energy’s Achievement Award for her role in the leadership team of JCESR. Her most recent awards also include the TMS Early Career Faculty Fellow Award in 2017 and the LBNL Director’s Award for Exceptional Scientific Achievement in 2013.
David Prendergast, who has been the Foundry’s Interim Director, will continue serving in a leadership role during the transition period, supporting Kristin and the rest of the Foundry management team in a range of critical activities.
The Molecular Foundry Director Search Committee brought together staff from across the Foundry and Berkeley Lab – Mark Asta (Committee Chair), Polly Arnold, Branden Brough, Jim Ciston, Steve Kevan, Yi Liu, Jeff Long, Tracy Mattox, Joel Moore, Corie Ralston, Melissa Summers, Francesca Toma, Alex Weber-Bargioni, Jackie Oberly, and Marisa Davis.
Read the Berkeley Lab press release about Kristin’s appointment.
