Los Alamos names new computer sciences manager, completes weapons physics team

Contact: Jim Danneskiold, jdanneskiold@lanl.gov, (505) 667-1640 (02-021)

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LOS ALAMOS, N.M., March 7, 2002 -- The recent appointment of a computing program manager from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to head Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Computer and Computational Sciences Division completes the management team for the Laboratory’s Weapons Physics Directorate.

Associate Director Ray Juzaitis announced the appointment of William Feiereisen to head the CCS Division, which provides basic and applied computing research in support of the Laboratory’s multidisciplinary programs.

“This completes my filling the permanent senior management positions for the six divisions that make up the Weapons Physics Directorate at Los Alamos,” Juzaitis said. “The Laboratory now has a great working team to carry out key roles in the stewardship of the nation’s nuclear deterrent – a stewardship with a strong underpinning of science.

“Bill Feiereisen's experience in computational fluid dynamics, high-performance computing and mission-oriented projects makes him an outstanding addition to Los Alamos and to our management team,” he added.

Feiereisen is chief of the Advanced Supercomputing Division at NASA Ames Research Center. Previously, he served as NASA-wide program manager for the High Performance Computing and Communications Technologies Program and as NASA project manager for Computational Aerosciences. He came to NASA in 1986 as agency program manager for Aerotherymodynamics.

Feiereisen earlier worked as a research scientist in computational methods and simulation supporting the central turbomachinery laboratory at Brown Boveri Company in Switzerland. He holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Stanford University.

The rest of the Weapons Physics management team includes the following division leaders:

Mary Hockaday was named leader of the Dynamic Experimentation Division, which has primary responsibility at Los Alamos for nuclear weapon component research, development and testing.

For the past five years, Hockaday has been leader of the Neutron Science and Technology Group in the Physics Division. She also has served as project leader for proton radiography at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center for the past three years.

Hockaday joined the Laboratory in 1981 as a student and became a staff member in the Fast Transient Plasma Group in 1986 and served as section leader and acting deputy and acting leader for that group. She also was deputy leader of Hydrodynamics and X-rays, nuclear weapons technology coordinator for the Physics Division, project leader for Pulse Power Weapons Physics Experiments for AGEX II, Athena Project Leader for Target Experiments and diagnostic coordinator for the Cimarron subcritical experiment at the Nevada Test Site.

Hockaday holds a doctorate in physics from the New Mexico State University.

In announcing the appointment, Juzaitis pointed to Hockaday’s strong interpersonal skills and major successes in the operational aspects of running complex experiments with significant compliance requirements.

Juzaitis also named veteran laboratory leader Rod Wood-Schultz to lead the Applied Physics, or X, Division, which develops computational solutions in nuclear weapons, physics and related national security areas.

Since coming to Los Alamos in 1974 to work on weapon simulations in the former Theoretical Design Division, Wood-Schultz has served as group leader for Thermonuclear Applications and later as deputy director of the Applied Theoretical and Computational Physics Division, the former name of X Division.

Wood-Schultz also served a tour of duty in 1985-86 as liaison to the Nuclear Weapons Branch of the Defense Intelligence Agency in Washington, D.C.

He has also served in numerous program and project management positions, some of which were related to the Laboratory’s counter-proliferation efforts.

Wood-Schultz has actively participated in a variety of U.S. nuclear weapon design and testing activities, as well as advanced weapon concepts. He most recently was project leader for assessment of foreign nuclear weapon technologies in the Weapons Design Technologies Group.

Wood-Schultz holds a doctorate in astrophysics from the University of Colorado.

John F. Morrison, until recently the acting leader of the Computing, Communications and Networking Division, is the permanent leader of CCN, which develops and operates the world’s most powerful computers, including systems software and communications technology.

In his 30 years in a wide variety of technical and managerial jobs at the Laboratory, Morrison has been a key leader in: high-performance computer systems, networking, and platform acquisition, integration and stabilization. He also helped lead development of the High Performance Parallel Interface, or HIPPI, and the establishment of the clustered Shared Multi-Processor architecture for high-performance computing.

Morrison served as deputy director for Strategic Computing in the former Computing Information and Communications Division and led the negotiating team for the 30-TeraOPS Q computer, on behalf of the Laboratory and the National DOE Advanced Strategic Computing program.

He holds bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science from the University of Illinois and a master’s in the same fields from the University of New Mexico.

Juzaitis said together Morrison and Feiereisen will play a crucial role in developing and meeting the advanced computational requirements of the nuclear weapons and ASC programs, and developing a significant open computing resource for the Laboratory.

The Weapons Physics Directorate also includes the Physics Division and the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center, or LANSCE.

Susan Seestrom last year was appointed leader of the Physics Division, which develops new technology in experimental physics through basic and applied research.

Seestrom joined the Laboratory as a post-doctoral fellow in 1981 and became a staff member five years later.

She has served as deputy group leader of Neutron Science and Technology and shared responsibilities as acting Physics Division leader.

Seestrom was named a fellow of the American Physical Society in 1994 and has published 129 research papers. She holds a doctorate in physics from the University of Minnesota.

Paul Lisowski is leader of Los Alamos Neutron Science Center, which delivers neutrons and protons safely and reliably to materials scientists, weapons researchers and academic and industrial users.

In nearly 27 years at the Laboratory, Lisowski has served as assistant and deputy group leader for Subatomic Physics and Applications; leader of the Neutron and Nuclear Science Group; and project leader and project director for the national Accelerator Production of Tritium Project. He also was project manager for Particle Beam Vulnerability, Lethality and Countermeasures and director of the Advanced Hydrotest Facility project.

Lisowski has published more than 100 technical articles and reports and holds one U.S. patent. He serves on the executive committee of the Accelerator Applications Division of the American Nuclear Society.

Lisowski holds a doctorate in nuclear physics from Duke University.

Los Alamos National Laboratory is operated by the University of California for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) of the U.S. Department of Energy and works in partnership with NNSA's Sandia and Lawrence Livermore national laboratories to support NNSA in its mission.

Los Alamos enhances global security by ensuring safety and confidence in the U.S. nuclear stockpile, developing technologies to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction and improving the environmental and nuclear materials legacy of the cold war. Los Alamos' capabilities assist the nation in addressing energy, environment, infrastructure and biological security problems.

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