Wayne Shotts selected asDeputy Director for Operations

LIVERMORE, Calif — Dr. Wayne Shotts, a longtime Laboratory physicist and a past winner of the E.O. Lawrence Award for national security, has been selected as the new Deputy Director for Operations at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

The appointment was made by LLNL Director Michael Anastasio and confirmed by the University of California Regents and by the National Nuclear Security Administration. Shotts replaces Glenn Mara, who retired from the position in October.

In making the appointment, Anastasio said that Shotts is ideally suited for the role of deputy director. "Wayne brings more than 30 years of outstanding work in our programs - both at Livermore and at the Nevada Test Site - to this operations position," he said. "He is an outstanding scientist and leader for which he has earned many accolades during his career here. His recent efforts as head of our Homeland Security Organization allowed the Lab to make significant contributions to the nation's war on terrorism. I have full confidence that he will bring that same commitment and leadership qualities to this position. I look forward to working with him."

Shotts joined Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in 1974 as a physicist. He has served as a group and program leader in the Lab‘s nuclear design department and division leader for nuclear chemistry and for prompt diagnostics in the Lab‘s nuclear test department. In 1988, he became principal deputy associate director for military applications. In 1992, he joined the Defense and Nuclear Technologies Directorate as principal deputy.

In 1995, Shotts was tapped to be the associate director for Nonproliferation, Arms Control and International Security (NAI) – overseeing the Lab‘s programs in proliferation prevention, proliferation detection and defense systems, counterterrorism and incident response, and international assessments.

Following the tragedy of September 11, the Laboratory formed a new Homeland Security Organization. Shotts assumed the leadership of this new organization in December 2002, while still maintaining a dual role as associate director for NAI. Under his leadership, LLNL‘s Homeland Security Organization provided significant contributions to the Department of Homeland Security and the nation‘s war on terrorism. In October 2004, Shotts assumed the acting position of deputy director for operations.

"It‘s an honor to be selected," said Shotts. "There is increasing emphasis on operational functions at our Lab, and I believe my experience on the program side of the Laboratory will be beneficial in this position. I have seen first-hand how crucial sound operations are to achieving our missions and my goal is to implement best-in-class systems and assurances in the areas of safety, security and business practices."

Shotts received his bachelor‘s degree in physics from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1967. He received a Ph.D. in physics from Cornell University in 1973. In 1990, he was awarded the E.O. Lawrence Award for National Security for his contributions to the research and development of advanced nuclear weapons and his innovative approach to improving diagnostic methods, which have aided in solving some of the most pressing problems in nuclear explosive designs.

Shotts is a longtime member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Physical Society. His research interests include applied optics, nuclear chemistry, electromagnetics, plasma physics, weapons effects, arms control and nuclear policy. He has participated in numerous panels and studies on national security, nonproliferation and counterterrorism.

Shotts resides in Livermore with his wife Jacquelyn.

Founded in 1952, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has a mission to ensure national security and to apply science and technology to the important issues of our time. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is managed by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.