An interview with the director

Dr. Leonard Peters

Dr. Leonard Peters joined Pacific Northwest National Laboratory as director on April 1, 2003. Outgoing and affable, Peters insists that new acquaintances refer to him simply as "Len."

His leadership style is similarly direct and free of pretense.

We recently visited with Len to see how he is settling into his new role and to gain a better understanding of his vision for PNNL.

After some time on the job, what are your impressions of PNNL?

By the middle of August, I had attended about 35 briefings across the Laboratory, visiting with staff in research directorates, business support services, operations and many other areas. After attending these briefings, I'm even more amazed and impressed with the breadth and depth of capability here at PNNL. The people are great. Staff and management know their jobs and are very dedicated to the Laboratory and Battelle (the operator of PNNL for the U.S. Department of Energy). They want this place to succeed.

National research and development needs are evolving. Is PNNL positioned to respond to these needs?

My sense is we are quite well positioned. Let me cite a few examples. There's the issue of the hydrogen-based economy, or using hydrogen to eventually replace fossil fuels as our primary source of energy. Related to that, we are recognized as one of the leaders in solid oxide fuel cells. We also will be working on safety issues surrounding hydrogen use, so I think we are positioned very well in that initiative, which President Bush has said is important to the nation. We're very strong in surface science, and I believe surface science, catalysis and interfacial science are keys to how the nation goes about making the hydrogen economy a reality.

Our work focused on developing a robust power grid system for the nation is important in terms of energy efficiency, homeland security and national security.

In the area of biology, we are focused on systems biology and are applying our unique capabilities in chemistry and physical chemistry. That builds on the strengths we have at the William R. Wiley Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL).

We are an important contributor to national security, and are recognized as a leading contributor to the Department of Homeland Security as it gets up and operating. We have a number of people back in Washington, D.C., working with DHS, especially in their research and development activities, and PNNL is viewed as an asset.

Where does PNNL face challenges?

We have considerable strengths in the environmental area, whether it's in groundwater, water quality, ecology, atmospheric chemistry or climate change. As national needs continue to evolve, we will pursue new opportunities in environment-related work. We have to look at how we can in fact change or realign some of our strengths with the environmental priorities at this time. I'm confident we will do it, because we have very good capabilities and people in that particular area.

With DOE's Office of Science (SC) having oversight for PNNL, how well are we aligned with DOE-SC priorities?

When you really look at the DOE national laboratories, for the most part they are fundamentally physics-based laboratories. That's natural, as the system grew out of the Manhattan Project, a physical sciences-based activity. I think we are a unique part of the national laboratory system in that our fundamental strengths are in chemistry. Scientist per scientist, we have more chemists than any of the other laboratories. Certainly we have quality people in physics, biology, computing, mathematics and other areas, but fundamentally we are a chemistry laboratory. We have to use that as our unique strength and signature for the Department of Energy. I think we are doing that with EMSL, with our Genomes to Life (GTL) work, and with the GTL facility we will be bidding on.

Our biologists bring the problems to the table, and we use that union of strong physical chemistry and insight from biologists to attack problems. Whether you are talking about catalysis, bio-based products or emissions reductions, those all have significant surface science, chemical catalysis and interfacial phenomena associated with them. We have considerable strengths in those areas that are aligned with where DOE wants to go.

In the whole area of national security and homeland security, we have strong capabilities in radiation and chemical detection, and we are developing strong capabilities in bio-detection, which aligns with Office of Science needs.

Another aspect involves partnerships. The Office of Science wants its laboratories to develop strong partnerships with universities in the region and across the country. We certainly are building on what already has been done, and are seeking to cultivate stronger relationships with research universities.

PNNL is proud of its success in achieving simultaneous excellence in science and technology, operations and community/regional leadership. PNNL also is proud of its customer service approach. I assume you are pleased with the Laboratory's progress in these areas.

Yes. It's clear that we know how to deliver things on time and on budget. We have a culture--that preceded me by a long time--that listens to the client carefully. I think we do a very good job of delivering what clients want in a timely fashion and a fiscally responsive manner. And we do that because we have good people--we bring the right people to the table. If in fact a program is going through our Energy Science and Technology Directorate and they need scientists from the Environmental Technology Directorate, those people move to that project very readily. That's one of the ways we can exploit the capabilities that we have--by bringing the right people to bear on the problem at that point in time. We will continue to maintain and grow that culture.

We are recognized as, if not the leader, then certainly one of the leaders in the national labs in terms of how we operate. We operate efficiently, effectively and responsibly. We want to make sure that safe operations are so second nature to us that we can concentrate on doing outstanding research and development and contributing to the nation, the region and to the community overall.

What are the keys to future success at PNNL?

At the end of the day, the people and the facilities we have are the keys to success. One without the other does not get it done. We have to make sure that we hire the very best people, nurture them and develop them. We must keep our facilities at the cutting edge. If you have bright people, provide them with the facilities and wherewithal to conduct work, they are going to deliver good science and technology for our clients, be it DOE, DHS, the National Institutes of Health, other federal agencies or private sector clients.

Where does Len Peters want to take PNNL? There are seven objectives on his road map for the future.

1 Emphasize chemistry

"We will exploit our strengths and uniqueness in chemistry. We want to make sure that DOE recognizes us as their chemistry laboratory. This ties in specifically with EMSL, and the way we're going to aggressively pursue systems biology and proteomics and make contributions to the nation's research and development needs."

2 Build the energy portfolio

"We have to remember that we are a Department of Energy laboratory. We're building our energy portfolio right now through work focused on hydrogen, fuel cells and GridWise™ (a program seeking to improve the nation's energy delivery system). We're going to be focusing on expanding work in those areas. We also can apply our considerable strengths in the chemical sciences area to our energy portfolio."

3 Realign environmental work

"We must realign our environmental work to address evolving national needs. We have strengths that are second to none in the world, be they related to subsurface science, ecology or atmospheric research. Our capabilities are an asset to the nation and we have an obligation to make sure we do not allow these assets to dissipate in any way."

4 Contribute to homeland security

"We are currently beginning to build a solid relationship with the Department of Homeland Security. We're going to continue to build that relationship, and we are going to do it in a way that the Department of Energy and the Office of Science see as beneficial. I believe it is critical to get DHS up and operating with a good, strong science and technology base, and PNNL is a part of that formula."

5 Build new facilities

"Within the next seven years, we will move out of a significant number of the facilities in the 300 Area (part of DOE's Hanford Site, north of the main PNNL campus) where we conduct work. It is critical to PNNL that we make this transition in a way that builds future science and technology strengths. We have to look where the science is going and pursue new facilities."

6 Strengthen the area's science and technology base

"We are going to be a much greater catalyst for building the private sector science and technology base in the region. I believe very strongly that PNNL can't exist in a healthy way in this community without that broader base. In the next few months, we will be announcing ways we think we can be a catalyst for building the private sector science and technology base."

7 Assume stronger regional role

"Regional advocacy involves expanding our relationships with the research universities in the region, and using those relationships to create stronger ties over and through the "Cascade Curtain" of Western Washington and Oregon. Increasingly, we are being seen as a major science and technology resource in the region. We will continue to build that image through expansion of our university relationships, as well as relationships with state governments, industry and other Northwest entities."