Brookhaven National Laboratory Names JoAnne Hewett 1st Woman Director

UPTON, NY — Theoretical physicist JoAnne Hewett has recently been appointed the first woman director of the United States Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory at Upton, officials said in a news release.

Hewett comes to the lab from the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center National Accelerator Laboratory located at Stanford University in Menlo Park, CA. There she most recently served as associate lab director for fundamental physics and chief research officer.

In that role, she provided guidance for the DOE regarding science and policy, officials Sid, adding that in addition, she has worked with the Program Advisory Committees of the Fermi National Accelerator Lab, the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, and the Cornell Electron Storage Ring.

Hewett will join BNL this summer, heading up a team of over 2,800 scientists, engineers, technicians, and professionals working to address challenges in nuclear and high energy physics, clean energy and climate science, quantum computing, artificial intelligence, isotope production, accelerator science and technology, and national security.

The lab is preparing to begin construction of the Electron-Ion Collider, which will be built through a partnership among the DOE, the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, and BNL.

Hewett will join Stony Brook University as a tenured faculty member in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the C.N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics.

Brookhaven Science Associates, a partnership between Stony Brook University and Battelle Memorial Institute, has operated BNL for the DOE’s Office of Science since 1998. Stony Brook is one of only eight universities with a role in running a national laboratory.

Maurie McInnis, president of Stony Brook University and co-chair of the BSA Board of Directors, said Hewett's "capable leadership, experience, and future-forward vision complements Brookhaven National Laboratory’s continued focus on scientific innovation and discovery."

"We're pleased to welcome JoAnne to Stony Brook University where she will hold a faculty appointment with our nationally-recognized Department of Physics and Astronomy and C.N. Yang Institute of Theoretical Physics, both of which have had long-standing and critical connections to many major physics achievements at BNL," he said. "We look forward to the work she will do with our students who will be the beneficiaries of her deep experience as a scientist, educator, and leader."

SUNY Chancellor John B. King, Jr., said that over the past three decades, Hewett’s work as a scientist, organizational leader, and educator "has increasingly placed her at the pinnacle of the physics world, making her an exceptional choice to lead Brookhaven National Laboratory."

"As SUNY acts on our commitment to more diversity in STEM, the leadership of women like JoAnne is a point of pride and a beacon of hope for other women," he said. "The fact that JoAnne will also be a faculty member at Stony Brook will enhance our students’ unparalleled opportunities and access to cutting-edge research.”