Imagine the Future
Learn more about the Lab's future in a series of monthly features.
Each month, we will introduce the future of the Lab through the eyes of one of the Lab's Employee Resource Groups, one of its Operations division, and one of its science research areas.
The Early Career ERG helps foster a community of inclusion and belonging for those seeking clarity on how to navigate job growth opportunities. ERG co-chairs Juliane Mueller and Arica Chhay share how they strive to increase accountability to support early career employees and address their needs.
Living thousands of miles away from family and friends is never easy. It is more challenging during a pandemic. The co-chairs of the Lab’s gLoBaL ERG, Alisa Bettale and Antoine Wojdyla, share their challenges and what they are doing to make it easier for their fellow international colleagues.
A lightbulb, battery, and some wire in the Caribbean started Antoine Wojdyla on his curiosity journey, where he now works on the ALS upgrade project. Read more about his remarkable path as we continue looking at the role accelerators have played in the Lab's history and its future.
The co-chairs of the Veterans Employee Resource Group (VERG), Abiola Ashorobi and Jason Bush, understand the perspective of veterans since they both served. This background helps inform the goals they have for this ERG which is also a business resource group.
Revathi Jambunathan, also known as "Reva," is a postdoctoral researcher in the Center for Computational Sciences and Engineering (CCSE). As a high school student, she participated in a stargazing session on a camping trip. She knew then that she wanted to do something in her career related to space. She discusses her work and vision for the future.
Mike Torkelson is one of the Lab's Senior Fire Protection Engineers, providing consulting to Lab areas on fire prevention, reviewing plans, and providing hazardous materials inspections. Learn more about how he and his colleagues keep the Lab safe and support the research areas through partnership.
Charuleka Varadharajan, a research scientist in the Earth and Environmental Sciences Area (EESA), was interested in the nexus of environmental science and computation even as an undergraduate at the Indian Institute of Technology in Chennai. At the Lab, she found a natural home for her interdisciplinary research work. She shares her passion for this work.
Jacqueline (Jackie) Scoggins, a High Performance Systems Engineer in the Information Technology Division, started at NASA before coming to Berkeley Lab in 1996. She sees staying ahead of growing data and computing needs as the key to supporting future research.
Natalie Popovich, a project scientist in ETA, combines her background in race and ethnic studies and in resource economics to build sustainable and equitable transportation networks. She shares her thoughts and plans for the future.
The Asian and Pacific Islander Employee Resource Group (API ERG) got its start during the COVID-19 pandemic, a response to hate crimes that targeted members of the Asian community. Carol Chien and Madelyn Bello, co-chairs of the API ERG, share their thoughts on what the API ERG could accomplish and the steps it is taking now towards that future.
Nicolette Carroll is a recruitment coordinator with the talent management team in the Human Resources Division. She stresses the importance of optimizing and leveraging communications and metrics – technology and the human touch – to help recruit the talent of the future.
Ethan Crumlin, a staff scientist at the ALS and in the Chemical Sciences Division, believes in the opportunities in interfacial chemistry research and in team science. He shares his thoughts on his work and on the Lab’s collaborative spirit.
Sumanjeet Kaur in Energy Technologies is researching technologies that can substantially reduce the carbon footprint of the building sector, improve industrial thermal processing systems’ performance and her thermal energy group is looking into ways to advance carbon-negative efforts, and help meet the global demand for clean water.
All Access seeks to increase understanding and appreciation for individuals with disabilities, whether visible or not. All Access ERG co-chairs Misha Gonzalez and Emalynn Robinson share the benefits of an inclusive workplace and their vision for Berkeley Lab.
Keileigh Bennett, Facilities Operations Department Head, leads a team that touches every Lab building and system. Her vision of Facilities’ future includes strong partnerships with researchers, predictive analytics, and building an agile, collaborative team.
Nathalie Elisabeth, a project scientist with the Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging (MBIB) Division, hails from Guadeloupe and Martinique in the Caribbean and has travelled all over the world for her academic and research career. She imagines how research can help the world transition from fossil fuels to clean energy.
Since 2008, the Women Scientists and Engineers Council (WSEC) has embarked on a number of initiatives to make the Lab a better place to work, particularly for families. Ina Reichel, WSEC chair, shares her vision for the council and organization.
Will the Lab of the future be solving problems on other planets? Anthony Fernandez, the acting waste operations manager for the Lab, likes to imagine what the Lab would be like 90 years from now, including the problems researchers will tackle in 2111.
Can you imagine a future where the employees at Berkeley Lab reflect the surrounding communities in age, race, and gender? Imagine a rainbow of leadership, cultural diversity, and ideas that advance our science mission. For the next 90 years, imagine inclusion, diversity, equity, and accountability.
Brooke Russell is working as part of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment to get answers to a big question: how did the universe come to be? Hear what she has to say about her work and her vision for the future.