Nobel Laureate Steven Chu Is Sixth Director at Berkeley Lab

Chu

The University of California Board of Regents today named Steven Chu, professor in the physics and applied physics departments at Stanford University and a co-winner of the 1997 Nobel Prize in physics, as director of Berkeley Lab. Acting on the recommendation of UC President Robert C. Dynes and approval of Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham, the regents appointed Chu the sixth director of the laboratory during a special meeting conducted by telephone conference call.

Chu will take office Aug. 1, replacing departing director Charles V. Shank. Shank will take a sabbatical and then return to the UC Berkeley campus to continue teaching and research. "Steve Chu brings to this position outstanding leadership qualities and a record of superior achievement in science," Dynes said. "His combination of skills is precisely what we need to keep the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory at the forefront of scientific excellence and to guide the lab wisely through the upcoming potential contract competition."

Chu, who earned his doctorate from UC Berkeley, is currently the Theodore and Francis Geballe Professor of Physics and Applied Physics at Stanford, where he has been on the faculty since 1987. Full story.

Director Shank Praises Regents' Selection Of Steven Chu as Replacement

Berkeley Lab Director Charles Shank issued the following statement today upon the appointment of Steven Chu as his successor:

"I have known Steve since he was a graduate student, and I had the distinct privilege of working with him at Bell Laboratories. Early in his career it was clear that in addition to being a brilliant scientist he was also gifted leader. When he left a management/scientist job at Bell Laboratories to focus on his science, I was sorry to see him go. Clearly he knew what he was doing since he went off and won the Nobel Prize in Physics. I am thrilled to see a person of his stature take over the reins of Berkeley Lab."