A 35-year veteran of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, with experience in leveraging big data and leading national security research, will be its next director. 

Battelle, which operates the lab on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy, named Deborah “Deb” Gracio to the facility’s top leadership position following a nationwide search. She will take the reins on Oct. 1, with current director Steven Ashby stepping down to take a senior role within Battelle. 

“Deb is a visionary leader with deep scientific roots and a steadfast commitment to our mission,” said Lou Von Thaer, president and CEO of Battelle, in a statement. “Her insight, experience, and dedication to advancing science in service to the nation make her the ideal leader for PNNL’s future.” 

Gracio is currently PNNL’s associate laboratory director for national security. Staff under her leadership conduct research and find solutions for national and global security missions, such as border security and nuclear non-proliferation. 

An electrical engineer by training, she is also known for her research and leadership in computational capabilities.  

Gracio won an R&D 100 Award and a Federal Laboratory Consortium Award for her role in developing the Molecular Sciences Software Suite, a trio of software packages that provide access to high-performance, massively parallel computers for a broad range of applications. She also received DOE’s Outstanding Woman in Engineering award. 

“Her leadership in forming new methodologies, algorithms and technologies to address scientific challenges with big data has advanced the use of data sciences across multiple scientific and technical domains,” read a release from PNNL. 

The lab has an annual research budget of $1.6 billion and employs 6,400 people, about 2,000 more than were at the lab’s north Richland campus 10 years ago. Several new research facilities have been built in recent years or are currently under construction, all part of a decades-long $1 billion dollar campus transformation effort. 

Gracio said in a statement that she is honored to continue to build on PNNL’s legacy. 

“Our mission has never been more urgent or more inspiring,” she said. “I’m committed to fostering the collaboration, innovation and clarity needed to help our teams deliver meaningful impact for the Department of Energy and the nation as we look to the future.” 

Her tenure comes at a precarious time for the lab. Voluntary and involuntary layoffs have begun in an effort to trim spending in anticipation of federal funding reductions. Several research programs, specifically those dealing with renewable energy, environmental science and nuclear nonproliferation, that have a heavy presence at the lab were targeted for deep cuts by President Donald Trump in his proposed budget.