Thomas J. Bowles of the Physics (P) Division is the Laboratory's new chief science officer (CSO).
"I am very pleased Tom has accepted this assignment," said Laboratory Director G. Peter Nanos. "I have every confidence that he has the requisite skills, energy and leadership to help direct the Laboratory's science programs."
Nanos tasked two groups - the Laboratory Fellows, and an ad hoc group of senior scientists with whom the director has been meeting on a regular basis - to provide recommendations for a Laboratory structure that would ensure that science has a strong voice in the management and operation of the Laboratory. Both groups proposed the establishment of a chief science officer.
The CSO is not a line or program-management position. As CSO, Bowles will report to Nanos. Bowles' administrative responsibilities will focus on enhancing science at the Laboratory, and he will serve a three-year limited term. In addition to being a member of the Senior Executive Team, Bowles will have a limited-term deputy who will succeed him.
As CSO, Bowles will have various duties and responsibilities, including the following:
Bowles also will become chair of the Science Council, which will consist of six practicing scientists appointed by Nanos and Bowles. Science Council members will have expertise and interests that cover a wide range of Laboratory programs, and each member will be supported at the 20-percent level by the Director's Office. Bowles and Science Council members also will be active in division review committees.
"I am very honored to be appointed by the director as the chief science officer," said Bowles. "I view this as a tremendous opportunity to make a positive change in our ability to do science at Los Alamos. I believe it is essential to the Laboratory's future to find ways to relieve the stress that the applied and basic research programs face. Unless we can do that, I see tremendous difficulties in being able to guarantee the long-term viability of the stockpile and to maintain a world-class effort in basic research. I will certainly do my utmost to make Los Alamos a better place to do science."
Bowles came to the Laboratory in 1979 and will celebrate his 25th anniversary on Aug. 1 - up to now, his entire Laboratory career was spent in P Division. When he first arrived at Los Alamos, Bowles founded P Division's effort in weak interaction physics that has gone on to be recognized as one of leading efforts in neutrino physics and fundamental symmetries in the world. He has been a key player in several neutrino experiments and the principal investigator on the Laboratory's Ultra-Cold Neutron program, while also serving as the Nuclear Physics Program manager.
During his time at the Laboratory, Bowles has received a number of awards and served in various positions. In 2000, Bowles received a Distinguished Performance Award for his work on the Ultra-Cold Neutron program.
Last year, the Institute for Nuclear Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences honored Bowles with the M.A. Markov Prize for his work as a principal investigator of the Soviet-American Gallium Experiment, a major solar-neutrino investigation.
In addition to being a both a Laboratory Fellow and a Fellow of the American Physical Society, he is an affiliate professor at the University of Washington. Bowles has been coordinator of the Laboratory Fellows program and chair of the post-doctoral committee. He also served for a period on former Laboratory Director John Browne's advisory board.
Outside the Laboratory, Bowles served on the Nuclear Science Advisory Committee and the executive committee of the Division of Nuclear Physics of the American Physical Society. He continues to serve as a reviewer for both Department of Energy and National Science Foundation projects and on several national and international advisory and editorial boards.
Bowles earned his bachelor's degree in physics and mathematics from the University of Colorado and his doctoral degree in physics from Princeton University.
--Chris Roybal