James B. Roberto
Deputy Director for Science and Technology
Dr. Roberto oversees one of the nation’s largest research and development programs, with annual expenditures of $1 billion in materials and physical sciences, energy and engineering sciences, computational sciences, life and environmental sciences, neutron sciences, and national security. Prior to his present appointment, he served as ORNL’s associate laboratory director for physical sciences from 1999 to 2004. In this capacity, he led initiatives resulting in major scientific capability upgrades to the High Flux Isotope Reactor and the establishment of the $65 million Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, the Department of Energy’s first nanoscale science research center. He also served as director of the ORNL Solid State Division from 1990 to 1999.
Dr. Roberto joined ORNL in 1974 after earning a B.S. in aeronautics and astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and a Ph.D. in applied physics from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. His research interests have included X-ray and neutron scattering, ion-surface interactions, materials for fusion reactors, and nanoscale science and technology. Dr. Roberto is a former President of the Materials Research Society and Chair of the Division of Materials Physics of the American Physical Society. He has served on three National Research Council committees, most recently as Vice-Chair of the NRC study on Condensed-Matter and Materials Physics. He has testified before Congress on nanotechnology and chaired numerous national and international conferences, including the Department of Energy’s NanoSummit in 2004. Dr. Roberto is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a recipient of the 2004 National Materials Advancement Award from the Federation of Materials Research Societies.
 Office of Science |
Oak Ridge National Laboratory |
 Department of Energy |