Paul Hommert is the new Applied Physics (X) Division leader, Ray Juzaitis, associate director for weapons physics (ADWP) said. Hommert comes to the Lab from Sandia National Laboratories. "Paul received the unanimous support of the search committee," Juzaitis said. "He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in nuclear weapons, energy and engineering, and has earned the reputation of being an outstanding leader."It is my expectation that X Division, the Weapons Physics Directorate and the rest of the Laboratory will support Paul in this role, and ensure that the division and the Laboratory succeed in our national security endeavors," Juzaitis added.
Hommert will select his own management team, so the selection committee will remain in place, continue to screen candidates for deputy division leader positions and provide input until Hommert takes the job in early November, Juzaitis said. He encouraged any interested staff to apply.
Hommert most recently was director for the Department of Defense Systems Analysis and Concepts Center, which supports Sandia's Military Technologies and Applications Strategic Management Unit.
Hommert joined Sandia in 1976, and has held progressively responsible positions for Sandia and for Lockheed Martin, including director of Research and Applied Science for the Atomic Weapons Establishment in the United Kingdom. In that job, Hommert led an 800-person research organization that spanned theoretical and experimental physics, material science, engineering science and computer science, which placed him in charge of all science elements of the stewardship program for the United Kingdom's nuclear deterrent.
Previously, Hommert was Sandia's director of Engineering Sciences, manager of Energy and Industrial Programs and manager of the GeoEnergy Technology Department.
He holds doctorate and master's degrees in mechanical engineering from Purdue University, and a bachelor's degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, also in mechanical engineering. Hommert is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.