ABSTRACT: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) oversees seventeen national laboratories, including the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Washington. Launched as part of a wave of federal investment in science around World War II, the DOE National Laboratories are now a cornerstone of the United States’ innovation ecosystem. Join us to learn how the Labs advance the frontiers of scientific discovery and technology development to address critical challenges in science, sustainable energy, and national security.
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is a different kind of national lab. PNNL advances the frontiers of knowledge, taking on some of the world’s greatest science and technology challenges. Distinctive strengths in chemistry, Earth sciences, biology, and data science are central to PNNL’s scientific discovery mission. Their research lays a foundation for innovations that advance sustainable energy through decarbonization and energy storage and enhance national security through nuclear materials and threat analyses. PNNL collaborates with academia in fundamental research and with industry to transition technologies to market.
Our speaker on April 27, 2023, is Melanie Roberts, Ph.D. Melanie is a science and innovation policy practitioner focused on increasing the benefits of science for society. Since 2018, she has been the director of state and regional affairs at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. She has also worked in the U.S. Senate, the National Science Foundation, the University of Colorado, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and private consulting to develop policies, partnerships, and programs that build bridges between research and application and enable scientists and engineers to collaborate across boundaries.
Melanie has served on numerous advisory committees, including the Committee on Graduate STEM Education for the 21st Century at the National Academy of Sciences. She is an honorary fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences and a graduate of Leadership Tomorrow. She completed a Ph.D. in in neuroscience from the University of Washington and a postdoctoral fellowship in science and innovation policy at the University of Colorado Boulder.