Los Alamos National Laboratory scientist Wolfgang H. Runde has been selected to help manage the Department of Energy's (DOE) National Isotope Program. Runde, an internationally recognized isotope and actinide scientist with program management experience, was most recently the leader of a team of scientists and technicians engaged in actinide science and isotope production at the Laboratory.
"The Department of Energy's National Isotope Program is at the forefront of the development and production of isotopes that serve vital roles in medicine, homeland security and industry," stated Principal Associate Director for Science, Technology and Engineering, Terry Wallace. "Runde has made outstanding contributions at Los Alamos in isotope and actinide research, and I am pleased that he can now help guide the national program."
Runde received a PhD in chemistry from the Technical University of Munich, Germany and was a postdoctoral fellow in the Seaborg Institute at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory before being hired as a Los Alamos staff member in 1996. He will be responsible for coordinating and integrating DOE's isotope production sites, isotope availability (both research and commercial), facility infrastructure, and technology development.
"I am very excited about this opportunity and I am honored to be selected. I am looking forward to work together with DOE, the Program's Scientific Director, production sites and customers to provide a reliable supply of high-quality commercial and research radioisotopes," Runde said.
Runde's selection as the National Program Manager is one of two new positions created to manage DOE's new national isotope program. Last month, Darrell Fisher of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory was named Scientific Director of the Program. As the National Isotope Program Manager, Runde will report directly to the DOE Federal Program Director.
"I see Wolfgang as an important asset to this program," says John Pantaleo, the DOE federal program director, "because he has been intimately involved in all aspects of isotope science, technology, and production over the years, his expertise in his role as the National Program Manager will be instrumental to our success."
The newly reorganized program is part of the Department of Energy' Office of Nuclear Energy and fills a critical niche in the worldwide market for medical and research isotopes by producing isotopes that are either not widely available or are not produced in sufficient quantities commercially to satisfy market demands. For example, DOE is the only U.S. manufacturer of Germanium 68, which is used in calibration sources for positron emission tomography scanners in hospitals and medical clinics.
The cornerstone of isotope production at the Los Alamos are the 100 MeV Isotope Production Facility at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) - which houses the Laboratory's 800 MeV (million electron volt) proton linear accelerator - and associated hot cell facilities for isotope processing and shipment. The Los Alamos isotope products user community includes more than 250 universities, hospitals, clinics, radiopharmaceutical manufacturers, and related industrial customers.
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.