Senior Electrical Power Operations Engineer

Brookhaven National Laboratory chooses Allen Weeks as new EIC director. By Daniel Dunaief Allen Weeks will become project director of the Electron Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory on September 28th as the national lab prepares for construction next year of the cutting edge accelerator. The Mobile, Alabama-born and raised Weeks, who is concluding his work as director general of the Extreme Light Infrastructure, will take over for Jim Yeck, who is retiring. A search committee comprised of representatives from BNL and partners at Jefferson National Laboratory in Newport News, Virginia, which are jointly building the 2.4-mile circumference accelerator over the next decade that will collide high energy electrons with protons and heavier atomic nuclei, chose Weeks from among over 20 possible candidates. Weeks, who is not a physicist but has managed significant projects throughout Europe over the last 34 years, stood out for his ability to bring together collaborators "across many European countries" in his previous work, John Hill, BNL Director said in an interview. Representatives from Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in Virginia, which is a major partner on the EIC and has dedicated about 100 full-time equivalent staff to the EIC, appreciated the incoming director's background. "We were impressed by his extensive experience on major partnership projects and his thoughtful and collaborative approach to leadership," said Katherine Wilson, EIC Deputy Project Director at Jefferson Lab. Weeks brings "decades of experience in large scientific construction projects and international collaborations." The EIC, which the national labs will build on the former site of the accelerator tunnel for the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at BNL, will address questions in a host of fields, including medicine, fundamental physics, technology and computing. Construction, which the Department of Energy awarded to BNL in 2020, will begin early next year. Jefferson Lab has hardware for EIC that is already arriving. The Virginia lab also is refurbishing and upgrading 400 quadrupole magnets that Argonne National Lab no longer needed. Yeck and other leaders of the ambitious project have been meeting to discuss a range of scientific and technical questions. Weeks, who worked with Yeck at the European Spallation Source in Sweden from 2013 to 2016, have been engaged in discussions about the transition. At this point, the Department of Energy has invested $400 million on the project. New York State, meanwhile, has indicated it will spend $100 million. One of the first jobs for Weeks will be to work on ways to reduce costs, Hill said. Those expenses have been increasing amid inflation, which have driven the expected expenses to about $3.5 billion from an earlier estimate of $2.8 billion. Hill hopes to reduce those to around $3 billion. Yeck will serve as a part time advisor after Weeks takes over. "With [Weeks's] leadership and [Yeck's] support, we expect a smooth transition and continued strong progress or the EIC," Wilson said. From management to fundamental physics Weeks, who earned a Master's in Business Administration from Clemson University, suggested that his business experience provided a foundation for his role in managing such large, multi-institution and multinational scientific projects. "Organizations are made of people and good practices are transferable," he explained. The objectives and performance indicators, however, are not usually financial and efficiency is not always the most effective way to achieve cutting edge science. "It's important to adapt to the context." Indeed, Weeks enhanced his understanding of physics, a subject he studied in high school, by listening closely to patient scientists, who explained the terminology and concepts that provide a framework for their research. "My colleagues have always been helpful and generous, with the understanding that I had to take a serious interest in the topics" even if he himself didn't become an expert, he explained. "At a certain point, you must get serious about the content. It's not possible to effectively manage advanced technical systems without an operate level of understanding." In his current job at ELI, which was supposed to last a year and has extended to eight years, he has had a broad range of stakeholders. Scientific communities are at the core, along with funding bodies and agencies. The stakeholders also include school children and local neighbors, among others. Weeks has found that listening to various groups is critical to his success. In constructing a facility as complicated and cutting edge as the EIC, scientists can and do develop new technology that has potential applications. The EIC is developing technology to see particles after collisions that require a flexible silicon detector that's 50 microns thick. In the context of magnetic resonance images, which are used to create pictures of soft tissues, organs and internal structures in the human body, such detectors could provide significantly higher resolution, Hill suggested. The EIC is incorporating artificial intelligence into its design, which will provide numerous benefits. It could reduce the time between receiving an image and interpreting it and could enable the machine to conduct the kind of diagnosis that evaluates weakening parts. The AI can help "prevent faults" and cut down on ineffective experimental trial runs, Hill said. BNL could apply for licenses for some of the advanced technology it develops, in areas such as MRI enhancements. It could also make innovations in AI open source, offering the broader research and commercial community access to new codes for free. Growing excitement At this point, Hill called the new accelerator the "number one priority" at BNL. For his part, Weeks is eager to join the lab and considers it an honor to work at the facility. Roger Falcone, who has known Weeks for 10 years and chairs the science advisory committee at ELI, predicts that Weeks will keep the project on track to completion with the relevant scientists, with BNL and with the Department of Energy and Congress. Falcone, who is a Professor of the Graduate School in the Department of Physics at UC Berkeley, said that Weeks "listens carefully and acts decisively." Weeks has helped build ELI, hired and managed "great" staff and effectively engages international partners, Falcone added. Outside of work, Weeks, who grew up along beaches along the Gulf Coast that have dunes and barrier islands that are similar to Fire Island, enjoys sailing. Growing up in a town where college football is a "religion," Weeks has remained an avid supporter of the Crimson Tide, despite living in Europe or over three decades. As for his work, Weeks, who is 58, is excited about the prospects for the next decade. He "would love to be" on site during commissioning of the EIC, he said. "I'm certain that the work done on EIC will lead to very high impact results, possibly a Nobel Prize one day." He believes the discoveries will benefit people in their daily lives in the future.

Brookhaven Lab and PsiQuantum collaborate on Quantum Genesis research. September 2, 2026 Press play to listen to this content Collaboration aims to develop advanced quantum algorithms and applications in support of the U.S. Department of Energy's Quantum Genesis initiative UPTON, N.Y., Sept. 2, 2026 - The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory and PsiQuantum today announced a collaboration that will leverage PsiQuantum's software platform "Construct" to support Brookhaven Lab scientists researching new algorithms and scientific applications for the first generation of fault-tolerant quantum computers. Brookhaven's Associate Laboratory Director for Discovery Technologies Gabriella Carini. Photo credit: Tim Kuhn/BNL. "We are excited to partner with PsiQuantum to give our researchers access to these new tools," said Brookhaven Lab Associate Laboratory Director for Discovery Technologies Gabriella Carini. "DOE's new Quantum Genesis initiative requires innovative partnerships across our national labs, industry, academia, and government. This is a great example of one such collaboration." The Quantum Genesis initiative is focused on developing and deploying the world's first fault-tolerant, scientifically relevant quantum computing capability for research and development by 2028. Quantum Genesis will serve as a foundational element of DOE's broader artificial intelligence-focused Genesis Mission, which is designed to usher in a new era of computational power for the nation to accelerate scientific discovery and innovation. "We are excited to partner with Brookhaven National Laboratory to use these tools in support of its research into fault-tolerant quantum algorithms and applications," said PsiQuantum Vice President of Government Relations Heath Bumgardner. "Through this partnership, we're demonstrating how effective public-private collaboration can help accelerate scientific discovery." PsiQuantum's Construct software platform is the first comprehensive platform designed to help companies, researchers, and the public sector create fault-tolerant quantum algorithms, which are computational procedures designed to operate effectively on utility-scale quantum computers once these systems are built and deployed. Construct represents years of development by PsiQuantum's quantum applications team, which created a suite of tools for new algorithm development to help solve some of the world's leading quantum application challenges. Fault-tolerant algorithms can help advance research in materials science, pharmaceutical research, and cryptography, among other areas. In May 2026, PsiQuantum announced that Construct is now available as a free and open-access platform, allowing researchers to design quantum circuits, write and simulate quantum algorithms, and optimize resources. About Brookhaven National Laboratory Brookhaven National Laboratory is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit science.energy.gov. About PsiQuantum PsiQuantum was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in Palo Alto, California. The company's mission is to build and deploy the world's first useful quantum computers. PsiQuantum's photonic approach enables it to leverage high-volume semiconductor manufacturing, existing cryogenic infrastructure, and architectural flexibility to rapidly scale its systems. Learn more at www.psiquantum.com. The recently launched Genesis Mission includes a wide range of projects aimed at using advanced... Scientists running large simulations can end up with terabytes of data that then has to... Prior to the June International Supercomputing Conference, ISC High Performance 2026, in Hamburg, Germany, Sean... Over the past several days, a steady stream of Genesis Mission announcements has arrived from... The International Supercomputing Conference, ISC High Performance 2026, drew a record 4,035 attendees and 188... Oratomic, a quantum computing startup that emerged from stealth just four months ago, has raised...

Brookhaven Lab to lead $14M AI project for nation's Electric Grid. September 1, 2026 Press play to listen to this content Funded through the Genesis Mission Phase II Request for Application, Brookhaven Lab will lead a three-year effort to develop a next-generation grid foundation model UPTON, N.Y., Sept. 1, 2026 - The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory has been selected by DOE to lead a $14.2 million project through the Genesis Mission Phase II Request for Application (RFA). The award to Brookhaven and its collaborators will support three years of research to develop a next-generation grid foundation model (GridFM), an artificial intelligence (AI) system that can rapidly simulate scenarios for adding new loads to the electric grid. With the goal of building a model that can simulate 1 billion scenarios in 24 hours, the project aims to significantly accelerate grid expansion planning with optimal accuracy, affordability, and efficiency in operations. Hendrik Hamann, chief AI scientist for Innovation, Science, and Security at Brookhaven Lab and joint appointee at Stony Brook University, is the principal investigator for "Foundation Models for the Electric Grid: From Proof of Concept to Real-world Impacts." This $14.2 million Genesis Mission Phase II project, led by Brookhaven Lab, will support researchers in developing an AI system that can rapidly simulate scenarios for adding new loads to the electric grid. Image credit: Timothy Kuhn/BNL. The funding was announced today at Brookhaven Lab by DOE Assistant Secretary for the Office of Electricity (OE) Catherine Jereza. OE is administering the funding for this Genesis Mission project, called "Foundation Models for the Electric Grid: From Proof of Concept to Real-world Impacts." $3.9 million of the total project funds will be allocated to Brookhaven, with the rest being shared by collaborating institutions. "This project represents a bold step forward to supercharge scientific discovery using artificial intelligence to modernize America's electric grid," Assistant Secretary Jereza said. "By providing utilities enhanced AI tools, they can plan and operate the grid faster, more reliably, and more cost-effectively to help meet the demands of a growing economy while delivering affordable, reliable power for homes and businesses while unleashing American energy dominance." "This award reflects DOE's confidence in Brookhaven Lab to bring together science, artificial intelligence, and strong partnerships to address challenges of national importance," said Brookhaven Lab Director John Hill. "As electricity demand continues to grow, we need new approaches to strengthen, expand, and efficiently operate the nation's electric grid. We're proud to lead this effort and to work with an outstanding team to turn innovation into real-world impact for America's energy future." The GridFM Genesis Mission Phase II project led by Brookhaven Lab includes collaborators from the National Laboratory of the Rockies, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Stony Brook University, Cornell University, the University of Texas Arlington, GE Vernova Research, IBM Research, NVIDIA, Accenture Federal Services, Amazon Web Services, Alvarez and Marsal, Microsoft, the New York Power Authority, Alabama Power, the Long Island Power Authority, National Grid, Con Edison, New York Independent System Operators, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, Great River Energy, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, LF Energy, the Advanced Energy Center, the Horizon Institute for Public Service, and the GridFM Corporation. The GridFM initiative, on a larger scale, is a community project spanning industry, academia, and government, with contributions from more than 150 organizations. The initiative is strengthened by collaboration between utilities - which provide operational data and system experience - and researchers and technology providers, who provide AI expertise and computing resources. Open-source development of GridFM is administered and managed in partnership with the Linux Foundation Energy. "AI is often seen as a growing burden on the electric grid, but through the Genesis Mission we have an opportunity to turn that challenge into an advantage," said Hendrik Hamann, chief AI scientist for Innovation, Science, and Security at Brookhaven Lab, joint appointee at Stony Brook University, and principal investigator for the project. "By bringing together the right partners and scaling AI and grid foundation models for the electric grid, we can accelerate planning, improve operations and efficiency, and help build a more affordable, resilient energy system." The Genesis Mission is a historic national initiative led by DOE, which is building the world's most powerful integrated science discovery platform. By uniting government, industry, academia, and philanthropy, it is accelerating breakthroughs in energy, scientific discovery, and national security through a new platform that combines AI, supercomputing, quantum systems, and advanced scientific instruments. Brookhaven is advancing the goals of the Genesis Mission by improving AI for science and society across the Lab's research initiatives. In July, DOE awarded Brookhaven seven Phase I Genesis Mission projects supporting AI research for microelectronics, nuclear and high energy physics, computational science, and atmospheric science. The Lab is also contributing to 29 additional Phase I projects led by other National Laboratories, research universities, and private industry. Now, as the leader of a Phase II RFA project, Brookhaven Lab is expanding its contributions to this historic mission and helping to further ensure the nation's energy security. "Assistant Secretary Katie Jereza's visit and the announcement of Genesis Phase II underscore that Long Island is at the forefront of America's scientific and energy innovation," said U.S. Rep. Nick LaLota. "BNL's work strengthens our energy security, fuels technological breakthroughs, and helps ensure the United States remains the world's leader in scientific research. In Congress, I'll continue fighting for targeted investments that advance our national security, strengthen our economy, and deliver long-term value for taxpayers. I'm excited to see Genesis Phase II build on Brookhaven's remarkable legacy of innovation." Brookhaven National Laboratory is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit science.energy.gov. The recently launched Genesis Mission includes a wide range of projects aimed at using advanced... Deep Origin this month announced that its AI drug discovery framework delivered nearly a 31%... AI models are getting better at a rapid pace. They are now able to reason,... The tech industry is fixated on one main metric, the raw number of GPUs accumulated... Scientists running large simulations can end up with terabytes of data that then has to... Jensen Huang believes NVIDIA's chips are becoming much more than expensive pieces of hardware. As...