Biological and Environmental Research Leadership Transition

Message from Harriet Kung, Deputy Director for Science Programs

Dear colleagues,

Dr. Sharlene Weatherwax, Associate Director (AD) of Science for BER, is officially retiring from the Department of Energy on June 30, 2022. Sharlene has provided outstanding leadership of SC’s biological, climate, and environmental research portfolios for more than 12 years, including in particular the establishment of four Bioenergy Research Centers and DOE’s signature climate model, E3SM. We all wish Sharlene well in her new endeavors.

With Sharlene’s departure, I have asked Dr. Gary Geernaert to serve as the acting AD of Science for BER, effective July 1, 2022, for a period of three months as SC initiates a search for a permanent replacement. Gary has served BER for the past 12 years as Director for the Earth and Environmental Systems Sciences Division (EESSD); and he spent eight years prior to his DOE tenure as an Institute Director at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

With Gary’s new role as BER’s acting AD, Dr. Dan Stover, currently a program manager in EESSD, will serve as the acting Director of EESSD. Dan leads a broad program portfolio with focus on environmental systems sciences, and he has also provided expert program management support to SC’s Office of Scientific Workforce Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Dan will also begin his new role on July 1, 2022.

Please join me in welcoming Gary and Dan to their new assignments in BER.