Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL), a national laboratory under the stewardship of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM), is seeking an accomplished and collaborative Group Manager to lead the Fusion Energy and Isotope Science [JG1] group within the newly formed Energy Sciences and Engineering (ESE) Division, part of the Science, Energy, and Innovation (SEI) Directorate.
Fusion Energy and Light Isotope Science is one of four founding groups within ESE, alongside Energy Material Sciences, Advanced Manufacturing and Automation, and Research Computing and Computational Sciences. The group advances SRNL’s standing as the nation’s trusted partner for the fusion fuel cycle and light isotope science, drawing on six decades of hands-on, industrial-scale experience with hydrogen isotopes and tritium, heavy water and deuterium production, He-3 recovery, and other light isotope science. This experience includes SRNL’s design and fabrication of the ITER Tokamak Exhaust Processing (TEP) system.
The group applies that deep, shared expertise to the distinct demands of commercial fusion energy: closing the deuterium–tritium fuel cycle at the throughput, continuity, and Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) standards a fusion power plant requires. A proven SRNL development pathway underpins the work — using protium and deuterium surrogates for rapid, cost-effective early-stage development, then validating mature concepts with tritium under realistic conditions. Applied to fusion-relevant regimes — continuous, high-flowrate processing; plasma-driven impurity profiles; and extraction from molten salts and metals — this pathway compresses the route from concept to adoption-ready technology for fusion developers, DOE program offices (e.g. Fusion Energy Sciences (FES), ARPA-E, and Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC)), and industry partners.
Beyond the fuel cycle, the group extends SRNL’s separations, handling, and processing expertise to the broader suite of light isotopes central to fusion and to the national isotope supply — including helium-3, deuterium and heavy water, lithium-6 and lithium-7, boron-11, and related materials. This work positions the group as a partner to the DOE Office of Science Isotope R&D and Production (IRP) program and to the medical, research, and industrial users for whom a resilient domestic light-isotope supply is a strategic priority. The Group Manager is accountable for keeping this foundation deep, rigorous, and connected to where the fusion commercialization and isotope supply missions are headed.
As a line leader reporting to the ESE Division Director, the Group Manager is accountable for the stewardship, development, and support of the group's people; for creating an environment where this research thrives; and for executing technical work aligned with the strategic direction set by the Division Director and SRNL leadership. The Group Manager also cultivates the external partnerships — with DOE program offices, fusion developers, industry, and universities — that keep the group connected to real mission need and external investment.
This role requires deep technical credibility in fuel cycle or isotope science, a demonstrated record of developing researchers and research leaders, and the judgment to prioritize across surrogate-based development, tritium-validated research, light isotope production, and high-radiation-environment operability. Success is measured on the group's collective impact: the quality and trajectory of its science, the development and retention of its staff, the strength of its partnerships and funding base, and its operational and safety excellence.
