Kathy Yelick Selected as New Berkeley Lab Director

Why It Matters

Yelick’s leadership signals a decisive shift toward AI‑centric research and reinforced user‑facility excellence, shaping funding priorities and collaborative opportunities across the national scientific landscape.

Key Takeaways

• Yelick emphasizes cross‑disciplinary collaboration as Lab’s core strength.
• She adopts a consultative leadership style, valuing diverse expert input.
• AI integration is top priority for scientific impact at Berkeley Lab.
• Upgrading user facilities, like Advanced Light Source, remains critical.
• Talent recruitment must focus on adaptability amid rapid technological change.

Summary

Kathy Yelick was announced as the ninth director of Berkeley Lab, bringing a distinguished record in computing sciences, former roles as Associate Lab Director and UC Berkeley’s vice chancellor for research, and deep familiarity with the Lab’s interdisciplinary mission. She highlighted the Lab’s unique cross‑disciplinary culture, a consultative leadership approach that seeks diverse expert opinions, and a strategic pivot toward artificial‑intelligence‑driven scientific impact. Yelick also underscored the importance of maintaining and upgrading world‑class user facilities, such as the Advanced Light Source, while recruiting talent capable of rapid adaptation to emerging technologies. Key remarks included, “Science Solutions for the World,” reflecting the Lab’s purpose, and her goal to make Berkeley Lab “the leading lab at delivering scientific impact with AI.” She praised the existing culture of stewardship and emphasized empathy, mission focus, and the need for operational teams to feel integral to scientific breakthroughs. The appointment positions Berkeley Lab to capitalize on AI and automation across fields from cosmology to protein design, ensuring its user facilities remain unique and competitive. By prioritizing adaptable talent and robust operations, Yelick aims to strengthen the Lab’s role in the DOE portfolio and the broader national research ecosystem.

Original Description

The UC Board of Regents announced on May 5 that Katherine (Kathy) Yelick will succeed Mike Witherell as Berkeley Lab’s next director, following a national search. Her appointment begins on July 1.

Kathy is a leading computer scientist with a highly distinguished research and leadership career. She is currently the Vice Chancellor for Research and the Robert S. Pepper Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at UC Berkeley, and a senior faculty scientist at the Lab. She served as Associate Laboratory Director for the Lab’s Computing Sciences Area from 2010 through 2019, and was the director of NERSC from 2008 to 2012.

“I am honored to serve as director of Berkeley Lab, an institution that has long stood at the forefront of scientific discovery and innovation,” said Yelick. “At a time when advances in AI and data science are transforming how science is done, Berkeley Lab is uniquely positioned to lead. I look forward to working with the lab’s extraordinary community to advance its mission and deliver solutions to the nation’s most pressing challenges.”

Watch the interview with Kathy and Mike on her vision for the Lab’s future.

More Berkeley Lab news: http://newscenter.lbl.gov

Subscribe: https://youtube.com/berkeleylab

Berkeley Lab Social Media: http://socialmedia.lbl.gov