Fermilab's 1st Female Director Steps Down

BATAVIA, IL — Dr. Lia Merminga, the first woman to lead Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, has stepped down, the organization announced Monday.

Merminga served as the director of Fermilab in Batavia since 2022, following Nigel Lockyer's tenure. She previously led the lab's Proton Improvement Plan II project.

According to a report from WTTW, Merminga's departure comes amid a new management and operations contractor, Fermi Forward Discovery Group, taking over managing Fermilab in 2025.

In a statement, Paul Alivisatos, president of the University of Chicago and board chair of Fermi Forward Discovery Group, said, "I want to extend deep appreciation and thanks to Lia Merminga. Throughout her tenure she has displayed dedication and passion for high energy physics and Fermilab's mission."

FermiForward said in an announcement that it immediately launched the search for a new director. In the interim, Dr. Young-Kee Kim was selected to oversee Fermilab, effective Monday, after serving as deputy director from 2006 to 2013. She is currently the Albert A. Michelson Distinguished Service Professor of Physics at the University of Chicago.

Officials did not give a reason for Merminga's departure but said Kim "brings a fresh perspective and new expertise to help ensure our success at this important moment."

"We have an exciting vision for Fermilab to drive scientific innovation into some of the most fundamental questions facing science, while at the same time driving excellence across lab operations to enable our long-term success."