Dennis Kovar has served as the Associate Director of Science for Nuclear Physics since July 2003.  His background includes over 16 years as a Federal Program Manager and 20 years as an experimental nuclear physicist.  He joined the Department of Energy in 1990 and has served as Program Manager, Project Officer and Division Director in the Division of Nuclear Physics, prior to assuming his present responsibilities. As research scientist, primarily at Argonne National Laboratory, he produced over 90 refereed articles, 110 conference presentations, and 20 invited talks.  Dr. Kovar was honored with the Meritorious Presidential Executive Rank Award in 2004.

Research Interests
Low energy heavy ion nuclear reactions, nuclear structure and particle detection techniques and instrumentation.

Education
B.Sc. Physics, University of Texas, 1964
M. SC. Physics, Yale University, 1966
Ph.D. Nuclear Physics, Yale University 1971

Professional Experience
Yale University
    Research Assistant:  Wright Nuclear Structure Laboratory, 1965-1970

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
    Research Associate, Nuclear Science Division, 1971-1973

Argonne National Laboratory
    Assistant Physicist, Physics Division, 1973-1978   
    Visiting Scientist, Hahn-Meitner Institute, Berlin, 1980-1981
    Detailee, U.S. Department of Energy, Division of Nuclear Physics, 1989-1990
    Physicist:  Physics Division, 1978-1990

U.S. Department of Energy
    Program Manager for Heavy Ion Physics, Office of Science, 1990-1998
    Project Officer for the Relativistic Heavy Ion Project, 1996-1998
    Acting Director of the Division of Nuclear Physics, 1998-1999
    Director of the Division of Nuclear Physics, 1999-2003 
    Associate Director of the Office of Science for Nuclear Physics, 2003-Present

Professional Societies
    American Physical Society, Fellow
    American Association for the Advancement of Science, Fellow
    Phi Beta Kappa
    The Society of Sigma Xi

Last Reviewed: 3/8/2007