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Thomas Mason (physicist)

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Thomas Mason
Mason in 2018
12th Director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory
Incumbent
Assumed office
2018
PresidentDonald Trump
Joe Biden
Preceded byTerry Wallace
Personal details
Born (1964-08-09) August 9, 1964 (age 60)
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
CitizenshipCanadian, American
Alma materDalhousie University
McMaster University
Scientific career
FieldsCondensed-matter physics
InstitutionsAT&T Bell Laboratories
Risø National Laboratory
University of Toronto
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Battelle Memorial Institute
Los Alamos National Laboratory
ThesisCritical Behavior of CsMnBr3 (1990)
Doctoral advisorM.F. Collins
WebsiteLos Alamos National Laboratory website

Thomas Mason is a Canadian-American[1] condensed-matter physicist who serves as the director of Los Alamos National Laboratory. Prior to this appointment, he had been an executive at Battelle Memorial Institute from 2017 to 2018, and the director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory from 2007 to 2017.[2] Mason moved to Oak Ridge in 1998 at the start of construction of the Spallation Neutron Source[3] which he led from 2001 until project completion in 2006.

Early life

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Mason was born in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.[1] His father was a geophysicist who worked at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography, and his mother a biochemist, was working at Dalhousie University in Halifax.[4]

In 1986, Mason received his Bachelor in Science from Dalhousie University. In 1990, Mason received his doctorate in physics from McMaster University.[5][6] In 1997, Mason was listed on Maclean's 100 Canadians To Watch list for his work in neutron scattering research. At the time, he was an associate professor in physics at the University of Toronto.[7]

Career

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Mason started his career in the United States as the science director of the Spallation Neutron Source project in 1998. In 2007, Mason became the director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, succeeding Dr. Jeffrey Wadsworth as the lab's 14th director.[8] He stepped down from the position in 2017 to serve as the senior vice president for laboratory operations at Battelle Memorial Institute.[9]

Mason became director at Los Alamos as part of the new Triad National Security LLC management team. In June, 2018, the National Nuclear Security Administration,[10] headed by Lisa Gordon-Hagerty,[11] announced that it had awarded an agency, called Triad National Security LLC,[12] the $25 billion contract for security of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Triad replaced the former Los Alamos National Security. The announcement of this action occurred on June 8, with notice to proceed on July 5, 2018.[13][14][15] The contract includes a five-year base with five one-year options, for a total of 10 years if all options are exercised. With this contract came the appointment of Mason on November 1, 2018.[16][17][18][19][20]

In December 2022, the operating and management contract for Triad National Security LLC was extended from Nov. 1, 2023 through Oct. 30, 2028. [21]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Thom Mason Named Director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory". www.ornl.gov.
  2. ^ Cho, Adrian (27 February 2017). "Thom Mason, director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, to step down". Science. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  3. ^ "Spallation Neutron Source | Neutron Science at ORNL".
  4. ^ "Thomas Mason's Interview | Manhattan Project Voices". Voices of the Manhattan Project. April 19, 2018. Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  5. ^ "ORCID". orcid.org. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
  6. ^ Mason, Thomas E. (2014-06-18). MacSphere: Critical Behavior of CsMnBr 3. MacSphere: McMaster University Libraries Institutional Repository (thesis). Archived from the original on 2022-01-13.
  7. ^ "To Light The Darkness | Maclean's | JULY 1, 1997". Maclean's | The Complete Archive. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
  8. ^ "ORNL Directors | ORNL". www.ornl.gov. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
  9. ^ "Thom Mason, director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, to step down". www.science.org. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
  10. ^ "Nuclear Security". Energy.gov.
  11. ^ "Lisa E. Gordon-Hagerty".
  12. ^ Rafferty, Ann. "TRIAD National Security". TRIAD National Security, LLC.
  13. ^ Moss, Rebecca (9 July 2018). "Triad takes over at Los Alamos on Nov. 1, names Mason director designate". Santa Fe New Mexican.
  14. ^ "New Senior Managers Named at Los Alamos". The Independent. 12 May 2023.
  15. ^ Battelle and Triad Team Partners Awarded New Contract to Manage and Operate Los Alamos National Laboratory
  16. ^ Energy, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC, for the U. S. Department of. "Laboratory Director". www.lanl.gov.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ "Thomas Mason's Interview". www.manhattanprojectvoices.org.
  18. ^ Rafferty, Ann. "Leadership Team".
  19. ^ "'Don't Screw Up': An Interview With Incoming Los Alamos Lab Director Thomas Mason". July 27, 2018.
  20. ^ Cheyne, Victoria (July 19, 2018). "Texas A&M chancellor announces director for Los Alamos lab". Houston Chronicle.
  21. ^ O'Neill, Maire (December 7, 2022). "Mason Says Triad LLC Five-Year Contract Extension Is Direct Result of Workforce's Hard Work and Dedication". Los Alamos Reporter. Archived from the original on June 7, 2023.
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