People
Bob Ellis, new chief engineer
It is possible that no one at PPPL has deeper roots at the Laboratory than Bob Ellis. The son of a PPPL physicist, Ellis has spent almost four decades designing and overseeing construction of components of some of the world’s biggest fusion experiments — from PPPL’s Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) and the National Spherical Torus Experiment-Upgrade (NSTX-U), to the Joint European Torus in England and the Korean Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) fusion reactor in South Korea. He recently designed a water-cooled mirror for KSTAR that can withstand the super-high heat of plasma experiments while it beams microwaves from launchers to heat the plasma.
Now Ellis is making the transition to chief engineer and will ensure activities are conducted rigorously and efficiently. Ellis’s experience with a wide range of experiments makes him invaluable, said Valeria Riccardo, head of Engineering. “He knows nearly everything at PPPL,” Riccardo said. “He is very eclectic – he’s broad but he’s thorough. He is deeply respected and he is able to listen proactively and extract information and use a Socratic approach when necessary in finding a solution.”
Ellis is happy to take on the chief engineer role as PPPL begins constructing critical components to repair the NSTX-U, the Laboratory’s flagship experiment, and constructs infrastructure for the Facility for Laboratory Reconnection Experiment (FLARE), which will explore the astrophysical process of magnetic reconnection. “NSTX-U is going to lay the groundwork for a decade of fruitful research,” Ellis said. “And it’s exciting to be part of that.”
John Galayda named director of NSTX-U Recovery Project
John Galayda, an award-winning physicist and leader of major physics projects, is the new project director of the National Spherical Torus Experiment – Upgrade (NSTX-U) Recovery Project at PPPL. Galayda has extensive experience in the DOE national laboratory system where he has led major expansions. Most recently, he oversaw the Linac Coherent Light Source II (LCLS-II) project, a collaboration of six institutions constructing a major expansion of the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory’s LCLS X-ray laser user facility, a $1-billion project with more than 400 engineers and technical staff. Prior to that he was at Argonne National Laboratory, as deputy associate laboratory director for the Advanced Photon Source (APS).
Galayda has devoted his career to the physics, design, construction and operation of synchrotron light sources and free-electron lasers. “I am thrilled that John is coming to PPPL,” said Steve Cowley, PPPL director. “Rebuilding NSTX-U is our top priority, and John’s skills and proven ability to successfully expand and construct major physics projects is well demonstrated. He is an excellent choice. I am delighted he is moving back East and I look forward to working with him.”
Said Galayda: “Joining PPPL is a homecoming for me, in several ways. I’m born and raised a Jersey boy, and became interested in fusion as an energy source when I began graduate school. I’ve been very lucky to have worked my way across the U.S. from lab to lab, learning as I went. Now it feels like I am closing the circle both in geography and intellectual aspiration. I’m excited and looking forward to getting to work!”
Doug Ports named manager of performance assurance and contract management
“Working at PPPL will be the perfect capstone to my career.”
Doug Ports, a seasoned professional with decades of leadership experience in project management and contract assurance, has joined PPPL in the new position as manager of performance assurance and contract management. He will oversee the systems that support PPPL’s research mission and will ensure that the Laboratory is meeting the requirements of the contract between Princeton University, which manages the Laboratory, and the U.S. Department of Energy, which funds and oversees PPPL.
Ports most recently served 12 years as director of operations for the Plum Island Animal Disease Center, where he oversaw approximately $100 million in construction projects involving numerous research facilities and critical supporting infrastructure. “I am grateful that Doug has agreed to take on this position and to provide leadership in this critical area,” said Craig Ferguson, PPPL deputy director for operations. “Doug has excellent skills in performance assurance and contract management and deep experience on both the national laboratory and federal level.”
Ports said he is excited to find a position which so closely fits his background and experience and is happy to have a chance to support PPPL’s research mission aimed at developing fusion energy as a clean, abundant, affordable source of generating electric energy. “I wanted to continue supporting science, and the vision [PPPL director] Steve Cowley communicates about where he wants to take the Laboratory is particularly compelling, and I thought I really want to work there,” Ports said. “Working at PPPL will be the perfect capstone to my career.”