Thomas Mason (physicist) explained

Thomas Mason
Order:12th
Director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory
Term Start:2018
President:Donald Trump
Joe Biden
Predecessor:Terry Wallace
Birth Date:9 August 1964
Birth Place:Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Citizenship:Canadian, American
Module:
Embed:yes
Fields:Condensed-matter physics
Workplaces:AT&T Bell Laboratories
Risø National Laboratory
University of Toronto
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Battelle Memorial Institute
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Thesis Title:Critical Behavior of CsMnBr3
Thesis Url:https://macsphere.mcmaster.ca/handle/11375/8328
Thesis Year:1990
Doctoral Advisor:M.F. Collins
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Website:Los Alamos National Laboratory website

Thomas Mason is a Canadian-American[1] condensed-matter physicist who serves as the director of Los Alamos National Laboratory. Prior to this appointment, he had been an executive at Battelle Memorial Institute from 2017 to 2018, and the director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory from 2007 to 2017.[2] Mason moved to Oak Ridge in 1998 at the start of construction of the Spallation Neutron Source[3] which he led from 2001 until project completion in 2006.

Early life

Mason was born in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. His father was a geophysicist who worked at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography, and his mother a biochemist, was working at Dalhousie University in Halifax.[4]

In 1986, Mason received his Bachelor in Science from Dalhousie University. In 1990, Mason received his doctorate in physics from McMaster University.[5] [6] In 1997, Mason was listed on Maclean's 100 Canadians To Watch list for his work in neutron scattering research. At the time, he was an associate professor in physics at the University of Toronto.[7]

Career

Mason started his career in the United States as the science director of the Spallation Neutron Source project in 1998. In 2007, Mason became the director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, succeeding Dr. Jeffrey Wadsworth as the lab's 14th director.[8] He stepped down from the position in 2017 to serve as the senior vice president for laboratory operations at Battelle Memorial Institute.[9]

Mason became director at Los Alamos as part of the new Triad National Security LLC management team. In June, 2018, the National Nuclear Security Administration,[10] headed by Lisa Gordon-Hagerty,[11] announced that it had awarded an agency, called Triad National Security LLC,[12] the $25 billion contract for security of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Triad replaced the former Los Alamos National Security. The announcement of this action occurred on June 8, with notice to proceed on July 5, 2018.[13] [14] [15] The contract includes a five-year base with five one-year options, for a total of 10 years if all options are exercised. With this contract came the appointment of Mason on November 1, 2018.[16] [17] [18] [19] [20]

In December 2022, the operating and management contract for Triad National Security LLC was extended from Nov. 1, 2023 through Oct. 30, 2028. [21]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Thom Mason Named Director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory . www.ornl.gov . en.
  2. News: Cho. Adrian . Thom Mason, director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, to step down . 2 December 2018 . Science . 27 February 2017 . en.
  3. Web site: Spallation Neutron Source | Neutron Science at ORNL.
  4. Web site: April 19, 2018. Thomas Mason's Interview Manhattan Project Voices. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210118004241/https://www.manhattanprojectvoices.org/oral-histories/thomas-masons-interview. January 18, 2021. February 2, 2022. Voices of the Manhattan Project.
  5. Web site: ORCID . 2022-05-04 . orcid.org.
  6. Mason . Thomas E. . 2014-06-18 . MacSphere: Critical Behavior of CsMnBr 3 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220113213503/https://macsphere.mcmaster.ca/handle/11375/8328 . 2022-01-13 . MacSphere: McMaster University Libraries Institutional Repository. thesis .
  7. Web site: To Light The Darkness Maclean's JULY 1, 1997 . 2022-05-04 . Maclean's The Complete Archive . en-US.
  8. Web site: ORNL Directors ORNL . 2022-05-04 . www.ornl.gov.
  9. Web site: Thom Mason, director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, to step down . 2022-05-04 . www.science.org . en.
  10. Web site: Nuclear Security. Energy.gov.
  11. Web site: Lisa E. Gordon-Hagerty.
  12. Web site: TRIAD National Security. Ann. Rafferty. TRIAD National Security, LLC.
  13. Web site: Triad takes over at Los Alamos on Nov. 1, names Mason director designate. Rebecca. Moss. Santa Fe New Mexican. 9 July 2018 .
  14. Web site: New Senior Managers Named at Los Alamos. The Independent. 12 May 2023 .
  15. https://www.battelle.org/newsroom/press-releases/press-releases-detail/battelle-and-triad-team-partners-awarded-new-contract-to-manage-and-operate-los-alamos-national-laboratory Battelle and Triad Team Partners Awarded New Contract to Manage and Operate Los Alamos National Laboratory
  16. Web site: Laboratory Director. Los Alamos National Laboratory, Operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC, for the U. S. Department of. Energy. www.lanl.gov.
  17. Web site: Thomas Mason's Interview. www.manhattanprojectvoices.org.
  18. Web site: Leadership Team. Ann. Rafferty.
  19. Web site: 'Don't Screw Up': An Interview With Incoming Los Alamos Lab Director Thomas Mason. July 27, 2018.
  20. News: Texas A&M chancellor announces director for Los Alamos lab. Victoria. Cheyne. July 19, 2018. Houston Chronicle.
  21. News: O'Neill . Maire . December 7, 2022 . Mason Says Triad LLC Five-Year Contract Extension Is Direct Result of Workforce's Hard Work and Dedication . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230607151603/https://losalamosreporter.com/2022/12/07/mason-says-triad-llc-five-year-contract-extension-is-direct-result-of-workforces-hard-work-and-dedication/ . June 7, 2023 . Los Alamos Reporter.