BACKGROUND

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (“Fermilab”) is America’s premier laboratory for particle physics and accelerator research, bringing the world together to solve the mysteries of matter, energy, space, and time. The Lab works on the world’s most advanced particle accelerators and explores the smallest building blocks of matter, allowing scientists to explore the universe at the smallest and largest scales by studying the fundamental particles and forces that govern our universe. Fermilab scientists are at the cutting edge of research in dark matter and dark energy, which helped shape the universe and will continue to guide its evolution into the future. In addition to accelerator-based particle physics, Fermilab is known for astroparticle physics, accelerator science and technology, as well as detectors, computing, and quantum sciences.

Fermilab is the host laboratory for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) – an international flagship experiment to unlock the mysteries of neutrinos – which will be installed in the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility (LBNF) currently under construction in the United States. DUNE consists of massive neutrino detectors at Fermilab in Illinois and the research facility in South Dakota. The far detector will be the largest of its type ever built and will be capable of recording neutrino interactions with unprecedented precision. A global computing infrastructure will make data analysis possible. The experiment will send neutrinos 1,300 kilometers through the Earth’s crust from Fermilab in Batavia, Illinois, to the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota, a distance that is ideal for discovering subtle differences in neutrino and antineutrino oscillations, perhaps the key to the dominance of matter in our universe. DUNE is the result of an international partnership with funding agencies and more than 1,000 scientists from all over the globe. These critical stakeholders contribute expertise and components, thereby sharing the demands of this ambitious experiment. The Proton Improvement Plan – II (PIP-II), the state-of-the-art superconducting particle accelerator at Fermilab, will power the neutrino beam, operated with the help of artificial intelligence.

Another top priority for Fermilab is its partnership with CERN’s Large Hadron Collider and its 3,600-member Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment. Fermilab leads the U.S. CMS collaboration, which played a crucial role in the discovery of the Higgs boson. The team comprises more than 1,200 collaborators, making it the largest national group in the international experiment.

Fermilab also pioneers the research and development of particle detection technology and scientific computing applications and facilities. Fermilab hosts the Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center and is home to the Quantum Network (FQNET), where high-fidelity quantum teleportation was recently achieved.

Fermilab’s mission is to drive discovery by:

• building and operating world-leading accelerator and detector facilities
• performing pioneering research with national and global partners
• developing new technologies for science that support U.S. industrial competitiveness

Fermilab’s 6,800-acre site is in Batavia, Illinois and is managed for the United States Department of Energy by the Fermi Research Alliance LLC (FRA), a partnership of the University of Chicago and Universities Research Association Inc., a consortium of approximately 90 research universities. Fermilab serves as a user facility for more than 2,000 scientists and students from around the world and collaborates with more than 50 countries on physics experiments based in the United States and elsewhere.

For more information about Fermilab, please visit https://www.fnal.gov/

POSITION SUMMARY

Working in partnership with the Department of Energy, the Fermi Research Alliance LLC (FRA), and the FRA Board of Directors, the next leader to serve as Fermilab’s Director will be responsible for leading and managing the Laboratory’s exceptional scientific programs and operational support systems, and for fostering and developing relationships with Fermilab’s global stakeholders and partners, including the broader high energy physics community. The Director will also represent and serve as the voice of the global high energy physics community.

The new Director will lead the execution of the programmatic vision for Fermilab, including responsibility for DUNE, an international flagship experiment to unlock the mysteries of neutrinos. The Director will also ensure the successful development of the LBNF project, which is closely coupled to the DUNE experiment and is currently under construction at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in South Dakota.
The Director will build and maintain strong support for Fermilab’s associated projects and programs from the global scientific community and secure the resources to execute the vision from the Department of Energy and other sponsors. Because of the scale and breadth of the Fermilab programs, the Director will be expected to cultivate the international participation and resources that will play an increasingly critical role in the future of the Laboratory and its science. The Director will also seek to expand Fermilab’s research portfolio into new domains of science and technology.

The Director will be accountable for fostering a positive organizational culture that is conducive to ground-breaking research and development, driving execution, attracting and retaining an outstanding and diverse workforce, and delivering results.
Position Summary Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory

IDEAL EXPERIENCE

The ideal candidate will:

• Have a record of visionary leadership; strategic thinking and planning; project management, leadership experience and accomplishments, particularly in a DOE National Laboratory or other complex research setting.
• Be internationally recognized for scientific excellence through a demonstrated track record of scientific achievement and strong credentials and demonstrate the skills and attributes to represent and serve as the voice of the global High Energy Physics field.
• Have a strong working knowledge of DOE missions, priorities, organizations, and programs.
• Possess the skills necessary to communicate directly and effectively with multiple constituencies, including the Department of Energy; other appropriate federal, state, and global funding agencies; business and industry; university and research groups; international stakeholders; the media, elected officials, and their staffs in Washington, D.C., the States of Illinois and South Dakota, and the Midwest region. The candidate must also have the skills to cultivate vibrant and productive collaborations with Fermilab’s multiple international partners.
• Have significant project management and administrative experience, including the demonstrated ability to lead a large, complex organization with multiple stakeholders and significant operational and financial complexity.
• Have a demonstrated track record of attracting, motivating, and retaining world-class scientific and operational talent, building diverse and inclusive organizational cultures, and developing future scientific and technical leaders.

All FRA employees are required to be vaccinated for COVID-19, unless the employee is legally entitled to an accommodation based on a medical condition/disability or a sincerely held religious belief.

Fermilab is an Equal Opportunity Employer and believes a diverse and inclusive environment based on mutual respect is essential to our mission. Fermilab is committed to recruiting and developing the most hardworking people and does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, religion, age, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, military/veteran status, country of birth, geography/postal code, disability, marital status, parental or gestational status, or other non-merit factor.

Candidates may indicate interest by submitting their CV or resume to Fermilab@spencerstuart.com.