Browne begins a transition period with outgoing Director Sig Hecker and will take over sole responsibility for the Laboratory's top spot on Nov. 3.
"I am honored and pleased by the UC Regents approval of my appointment as Los Alamos director," Browne said. "It is a great challenge to lead the laboratory at this important point in its history. Maintaining the safety, security and reliability of the nation's nuclear stockpile under a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty will be a tough scientific and managerial undertaking, but I know the people at Los Alamos are up to the task. My job is to provide them with the leadership and support to ensure the success of our current efforts and to define the path to our future undertakings.
"I will also dedicate myself to fulfilling the terms of the new UC-DOE contract. In particular, I intend to focus on community relationships -- including economic development -- and safe and environmentally conscious operations. One of my goals is to engender pride in Los Alamos as a national scientific resource, as an employer and as a neighbor," Browne said.
Browne said he expects to spend time during the transition period meeting with employees and with members of nearby communities to receive their views on important issues concerning the Laboratory as he plans his administration.
Since UC President Richard Atkinson announced Sept. 26 that Browne was his top choice, Browne has already taken part in informal meetings with employees and local officials to start communications.
Browne also said that he did not plan sweeping organizational changes at the level of the Laboratory's technical divisions or groups since things appear to be working well. However, he said that changes at the top levels of management are a possibility but that those decisions would be made with DOE, UC and employee input over the next few months.
Browne joined Los Alamos in 1979 after nine years in the physics program at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California.
Browne currently is responsible for the scientific and operational management of the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center, which is at the forefront of neutron science research.
Browne previously served in a succession of positions, including physics division leader and several associate laboratory director positions. As associate director for experimental physics he oversaw four technical divisions and programs in nuclear physics, magnetic fusion and solid state physics. Serving as associate director for research, he led six technical divisions. He also was associate director for defense research and applications, overseeing four technical divisions and Department of Defense programs, as well as associate director for computational and informational sciences, a position responsible for five divisions and programmatic oversight of the laboratory's high-performance computing initiative, intelligence programs and non-proliferation programs.
Browne has served on numerous laboratory programmatic oversight committees and a variety of external scientific and professional committees. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the author of numerous professional publications.
A Los Alamos resident, Browne received his bachelor's degree in physics from Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pa., and his doctorate in physics from Duke University in North Carolina.
Los Alamos National Laboratory, a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security, is operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC, a team composed of Bechtel National, the University of California, The Babcock & Wilcox Company, and Washington Group International for the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.
Los Alamos enhances national security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, developing technologies to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction, and solving problems related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health, and global security concerns.