UC President Milliken names advisory committee for Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory director search

University of California President James B. Milliken today announced the appointment of a search advisory committee to support a national search for the next director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). The search advisory committee consists of UC Regents, faculty members, Berkeley Lab scientists, and other UC leaders.

"For more than 90 years, Berkeley Lab has been home to transformative research and scientific discoveries that benefit all of us," said UC President James B. Milliken. "I am confident our search advisory committee will help us identify the next lab director who will build on the lab's unparalleled success."

The members of the search advisory committee include:

• June Yu, UC Vice President for National Laboratories and chair of the search committee
• James B. Milliken, University of California President (ex-officio committee member)
• Janet Reilly, UC Board of Regents Chair (ex-official committee member)
• Jose Hernandez, UC Regent and Chair of the Regents' National Laboratories Committee
• Michael Cohen, UC Regent
• Nancy Lee, UC Regent
• Lark Park, UC Regent
• Mark Robinson, UC Regent
• Ben Hermalin, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, UC Berkeley
• Chris Van de Walle, UC Academic Senate representative; Herbert Kroemer Chair and Distinguished Professor, Materials Department, UC Santa Barbara
• Mark Asta, Interim Dean and Roy W. Carlson Chair of Engineering; Authur C. and Phyllis G. Oppenheimer Distinguished Professor in Advanced Materials Analysis, UC Berkeley; Faculty Senior Scientist, Berkeley Lab
• Paul Adams, Associate Laboratory Director for Biosciences, Berkeley Lab
• Kimberly Budil, Lab Director, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
• Keith Yamamoto, Vice Chancellor for Science Policy and Strategy, UCSF; Berkeley Lab Advisory Board member
• Kathy Yelick, Screening Task Force Chair, Ex-Officio Member; Vice Chancellor for Research, UC Berkeley; Robert S. Pepper Distinguished Professor of EECS, UC Berkeley; Senior Faculty Scientist at Berkeley Lab.

Earlier this year, Berkeley Lab director Michael S. Witherell announced his intention to retire in June 2026 after nearly a decade of service. Witherell is a leading physicist who's been recognized for his scientific contributions and achievements, as well as helping to develop the next generation of scientists at Berkeley Lab. He led Berkeley Lab during a period of significant scientific achievement and progress, including the awarding of three Nobel Prizes, two National Medals, and the election of 31 members to the National Academies of Science and Engineering.

The search committee for the next Berkeley Lab director will be assisted by a screening task force chaired by Kathy Yelick, Vice Chancellor for Research at UC Berkeley, as well as the executive search firm Opus Partners.

A recommended candidate is expected to be presented to the UC Board of Regents and the U.S. Department of Energy next spring.

Members of the public and the UC community may submit comments or questions about the search by email to the UC Office of the President at [email protected].

For more information about the search, visit https://ucop.edu/director-lbnl-2025/index.html.

For more information about Berkeley Lab, visit https://http://www.lbl.gov.

For more information about the UC Regents' Policy on Selection of Laboratory Directors, visit https://http://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/governance/policies/7104.html

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