Organization
INL is managed by Battelle Energy Alliance (BEA) for the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy. BEA is a limited liability company wholly owned by Battelle.
Battelle Energy Alliance Team Members
- Battelle
- BWX Technologies, Inc.
- AECOM
- Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)
- University Partners (see below)
University Partners: MIT, The Ohio State University, North Carolina State University, University of New Mexico, and Oregon State University, University of Idaho, Idaho State University, and Boise State University.
INL Mission
Our mission is to discover, demonstrate and secure innovative nuclear energy solutions, other clean energy options and critical infrastructure.
INL Vision
Our vision is to change the world’s energy future and secure our nation’s critical infrastructure.
INL Values
Excellence, Inclusivity, Integrity, Ownership, Teamwork, Safety.
Lab Leadership
Dr. John Wagner, Laboratory Director
Dr. John C. Wagner is the director of Idaho National Laboratory and president of Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC. He is responsible for management and integration of a large, multipurpose laboratory whose mission focuses on nuclear energy, national and homeland security, and energy and environmental science and technology. He manages this U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratory of approximately 5,200 scientists, engineers and support staff in multiple nuclear and nonnuclear experimental facilities, with an annual budget of over $1.3 billion.
Wagner began serving as INL director on Dec. 11, 2020. He has more than 20 years of experience performing research, and managing and leading research and development projects, programs and organizations. Wagner’s experience is strongly aligned with INL’s programmatic portfolio.
He has guided and helped implement INL’s nuclear energy strategy during an innovative and exciting time at the nation’s center for nuclear energy research and development. As a recognized expert in reactor and fuel cycle technologies, he is called upon frequently to provide expert testimony to Congress and to advise in formulation of policies for nuclear fuel cycles and advanced reactors.
He has been at INL since 2016 and served as associate laboratory director for Nuclear Science and Technology (NS&T) since 2017. His previous roles included director of Domestic Programs in NS&T and director of the Technical Integration Office for the DOE-NE Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program at INL. Wagner initially joined INL as the chief scientist at the Materials and Fuels Complex in 2016. Prior to joining INL, he worked at Oak Ridge National Laboratory for nearly 17 years, where he held several research and leadership roles in reactor and fuel cycle technologies.
Wagner is a Fellow of the American Nuclear Society and recipient of the 2013 E.O. Lawrence Award. He has authored or co-authored more than 170 refereed journal and conference articles, technical reports, and conference summaries. He received a B.S. in nuclear engineering from the Missouri University of Science and Technology in 1992, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the Pennsylvania State University in 1994 and 1997, respectively.
Read his extended bio here
Dr. Marianne Walck, Deputy Laboratory Director for Science and Technology and Chief Research Officer
Dr. Marianne Walck provides strategic leadership, direction, and integration for research, science and technology at INL in her role as deputy lab director for Science and Technology and Chief Research Officer. Prior to joining INL in January 2019, she was vice president of Sandia National Laboratories’ California laboratory and the vice president in charge of Sandia’s Energy and Climate Program. She has more than 30 years of DOE national laboratory technical leadership experience, including technical program leadership, research leadership, and line, personnel, and site management. Dr. Walck serves on several advisory boards for universities and technical institutes, including the Texas A&M Energy Institute, and is a Senior Fellow of the California Council on Science and Technology. She earned Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in geophysics from the California Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree in geology/physics from Hope College. She holds memberships in the American Geophysical Union, the Seismological Society of America, the Association for Women Geoscientists, the American Nuclear Society, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Read her extended bio here
Mr. Juan Alvarez, Deputy Laboratory Director for Management and Operations and Chief Operating Officer
With 21 years of exemplary leadership and management providing facility and site support services for nuclear and non-nuclear facilities, Mr. Alvarez has demonstrated award-winning experience in facility management within a laboratory environment. In his INL role as deputy lab director for Management, he has overall leadership responsibility for effective implementation of major functional management and business transformation efforts. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and secondary education from the University of Miami and a master’s degree in industrial technology from the University of Idaho.
Read his extended bio here
Mr. Zachary Tudor, Associate Lab Director – National & Homeland Security S&T
Prior to joining INL in June 2016, Mr. Tudor was program director in the Computer Science Laboratory at SRI International, where he served as a management and technical resource for operational and research and development cybersecurity programs for government, intelligence, and commercial projects supporting DHS’s Cyber Security Division on multiple projects. Mr. Tudor serves as a member of (ISC)2’s Application Security Advisory Board and the Nuclear Cyber Security Working Group, and he also serves as the vice chair of the Institute for Information Infrastructure Protection at George Washington University. Prior to SRI, he led a team of cybersecurity engineers and analysts directly supporting the Control Systems Security Program at DHS, whose mission is to reduce the cybersecurity risk to critical infrastructure systems. A retired U.S. Navy Submarine Electronics Limited Duty Officer and Chief Data Systems Technician, Tudor holds an M.S. in Information Systems from George Mason University concentrating in cybersecurity, where he was also an adjunct professor teaching graduate courses in information security.
Read his extended bio here
Dr. Todd Combs, Associate Lab Director – Energy & Environment S&T
Dr. Todd Combs became associate laboratory director for Energy and Environment Science & Technology (EES&T) in May 2017. His research has included energy systems modeling and analysis for DOE, most recently related to critical materials supply chains; as well as the application of modeling and simulation to national and homeland security issues for DHS and the Department of Defense. Formerly the director of the Global Security Sciences Division at Argonne National Laboratory, he led a multidisciplinary research team of over 200 that found solutions to protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from a wide spectrum of national and global security threats. He served 14 months as Argonne’s interim associate laboratory director for Energy and Global Security. Earlier, he managed Argonne’s advanced grid modeling program for DOE, and Argonne’s relationship with the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate. At Oak Ridge National Laboratory, he was an operations research scientist and served as group leader of the Transportation Planning and Decision Science group. He earned a doctorate in operations research and master’s degree in operations analysis from the Air Force Institute of Technology, and is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
Read his extended bio here
Dr. Sean O’Kelly, Associate Lab Director – Advanced Test Reactor
Mr. O’Kelly has more than 30 years of nuclear reactor experience. He served as deputy director at the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Center for Neutron Research. He also served as chief of Reactor Operations and Engineering at NIST and was responsible for the direction and management of reactor operations, maintenance and engineering for the NIST 20 MW test reactor. He has worked as a nuclear engineer at NIST and as a manager and reactor operator at Texas A&M University and The University of Texas at Austin research reactors. He served in the U.S. Navy in Idaho as a prototype instructor and reactor operator and on the USS Benjamin Franklin as a reactor operator. He holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering from The University of Texas at Austin, and a master’s degree in industrial engineering and bachelor’s degree in physics from Texas A&M University. He also serves as chairman of the IAEA Technical Working Group on Research Reactors and is vice chair of the ANS/ANSI Research and Advanced Reactors Consensus Committee.
Read his extended bio here
Mr. Ron Crone, Associate Lab Director – Materials and Fuels Complex
Mr. Crone has more than 25 years of experience in engineering, management and technical leadership. He served as interim associate lab director for the Neutron Sciences Directorate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He was responsible for the management of the neutron sciences R&D portfolio, which includes the operation of the Spallation Neutron Source and the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR). He began his career in the Reactor Engineering Group at the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station near Toledo, Ohio. He then worked at the Yankee Rowe Nuclear Power Station in Rowe, Massachusetts, as a reactor engineer and shift technical adviser. He moved to Tennessee and joined the staff of the HFIR in the Research Reactors Division (RRD) in January 1992. He holds a bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering from the University of Cincinnati and a master’s degree in engineering from the University of Alabama at Huntsville.
Read his extended bio here
Ms. Carol Mascareñas, Director – Environment, Safety, Health & Quality
With more than 32 years of experience, Ms. Mascareñas leads INL’s Environment, Safety, Health & Quality Directorate. She brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to this position, including 25 years in management roles with increasing levels of responsibility. Previously at INL, she was ES&H deputy director for four years, and held director roles in Occupational Safety and Health, Occupational Medicine and Environmental Compliance. A licensed civil engineer, she has been a regulator, a private consultant and a DOE contractor (industry). Ms. Mascareñas is serving a gubernatorial appointment to the Idaho Board of Environmental Quality as the current chair, and is on the Operations Committee for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. She earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from California State Polytechnic University.
Read her extended bio here
Mr. Robert Hillier, Director – CIO, Information Management
Mr. Robert Hillier became INL chief information officer and Information Management director in April 2017. He has more than 30 years of experience in the information technology field. His professional background includes expertise in IT budgeting, worldwide information management systems and programming. His experience also extends into wireless applications, business management and quality control. He previously served as INL’s deputy chief information officer and chief technology officer. Prior to joining INL in February 2016, Hillier was CIO for eight years at the Nevada National Security Site, where he also served as the chair of the DOE National Nuclear Security Administration CIO Council, and on the DOE National Lab CIO Council. Previously, he worked for Northrop Grumman, managing information technology for all domestic and international programs. He holds a degree in computer science from Southern University.
Read his extended bio here
Ms. Iris Anderson, Chief Financial Officer and Director – Business Management
Ms. Iris Anderson is the chief financial officer at Idaho National Laboratory with 29 years of experience in finance and accounting. As the CFO and director of Business Management at INL, she is responsible for the development and implementation of the laboratory’s financial strategy and planning. The CFO facilitates the linkage of the laboratory’s strategic objectives with institutional financial strategies and measurable goals. Before joining INL, Ms. Anderson served as the controller and manager of Financial Operations and had managed the Business Development & Analysis group at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). She served on PNNL’s Research Operations Council (ROC), as a member of the Brookhaven Laboratory Business & Audit Committee, and on the Battelle Pension Management Investment Committee. Previously, she held financial positions for US West NewVector Group and US Bank. The Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce honored her with the ATHENA International Award, which honors women for professional excellence, community service, leadership skills, and actively assisting other women in attaining professional excellence. She holds a B.A. in finance from the University of Washington.
Read her extended bio here
Mr. Randall Hughes, Director – Safeguards and Security
Mr. Randall Hughes is director of INL’s Safeguards and Security Directorate. He has over three decades of experience in the security realm and leads a team of more than 500 people while overseeing an annual budget in excess of $125 million. Safeguards and Security is responsible for programs that protect INL facilities, people, government property, and associated security interests, including special nuclear material, spent nuclear fuel, radioactive waste, classified and unclassified materials, security training, emergency communications, and the protective force. Mr. Hughes was the Senior Counterintelligence Officer at INL from 2010 to 2018. Before joining INL, he served as a special agent in the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), where he gained extensive experience in matters related to security, law enforcement, counterintelligence and counterterrorism. He retired from NCIS after 21 years of distinguished service in numerous worldwide locations, including duty stations in the Middle East, Europe, and Asia-Pacific regions. While in federal service, he served in field and senior management positions.
Read his extended bio here.
Mr. Fredrick Pieper, Director – Internal Audit and Workplace Concerns
Mr. Fredrick Pieper leads the Internal Audit and Workplace Concerns program for Idaho National Laboratory. His primary responsibility is to provide senior management with objective and independent assurance regarding the effectiveness of risk management, internal controls, and governance processes. He manages investigative activities for INL’s Employee Concerns program. He has over 25 years of audit experience, including service with the Defense Contract Audit Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Inspector General. As a senior executive with the Office of Inspector General, Mr. Pieper was responsible for all program, performance and management control audits for the DOE’s Energy, Science and Environmental operations. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and designations as a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Internal Auditor.
Read his extended bio here.
Mr. Carlo Melbihess, Director – Facilities & Site Services
Mr. Melbihess leads an organization of some 600 staff providing a wide range of facility and support services across the INL. These services include facility management, site-wide utility operations, logistics, property management, infrastructure planning, engineering and construction services, fleet management and logistics, precision machining, calibration services, landfill operations, and food services. He is a career Battelle employee. He has over 22 years of experience managing a wide variety of laboratory support functions such as facilities management, operations and maintenance, fabrication, roads and grounds services, facility design, construction, renovation and demolition project management, and, laboratory protection and security services.
Read his extended bio here
Mr. Mark Olsen – General Counsel
Mr. Mark Olsen returns to INL after serving for nearly six years as the Associate General Counsel for Laboratory Operations of Battelle Memorial Institute. In that role, he provided legal support to Battelle’s Laboratory Operations Global Business Unit, which oversees the performance of management and operating contracts at five national laboratories owned by the U.S. Department of Energy, and a national laboratory owned by the U. S. Department of Homeland Security. His position involved technical services contracts in the Middle East and the National Nuclear Laboratory in England, and other business development opportunities of Battelle Laboratory Operations. Prior to Mr. Olsen’s role at Battelle’s home office, he was the General Counsel of Idaho National Laboratory for over 10 years, and has worked for other DOE contractors. He began his DOE Complex career as a staff attorney with increasing responsibilities for DOE-Idaho Operations Office for nearly seven years. He was selected for this position based on the successful representation that his law firm provided to three contractors at INL in several cases involving construction, labor and employment, and personal injury matters. Mr. Olsen is a graduate of Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark Law School and a past president of the DOE Contractor Attorneys’ Association.
Mr. Mark Holubar, Director – Human Resources & Diversity
With over 25 years of experience in human resources leadership positions in various corporations — from small privately held organizations to several Fortune 500 corporations — Mr. Holubar brings a strong background in HR and diversity to the INL team. His background of success involves all areas of human resources with an emphasis on leadership assessment and development, organizational assessment, talent assessment and recruiting, employee engagement, employee relations and strategic planning. Early in his career, Mr. Holubar also held leadership positions in operations management. In his position as the director of Human Resources and Diversity, he will lead the HR function through the transformation of Idaho National Laboratory to its vision to be the world’s pre-eminent nuclear energy laboratory. Mr. Holubar holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh.
Read his extended bio here
