News Release: Bill Tumas Named NLR Deputy Laboratory Director of Science and Technology

Sept. 8, 2026 | Contact media relations

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The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) recently made a key selection to a laboratory leadership position, naming Bill Tumas as deputy laboratory director for Science and Technology.

As deputy laboratory director for Science and Technology, Tumas will provide strategic leadership for NLR’s research and development portfolio, strengthen integration across the laboratory’s scientific and engineering capabilities, and help ensure that the laboratory continues to deliver meaningful impact for our sponsors, partners, and the nation.

“This is an important moment for NLR—one that requires a leader who can move quickly, provide continuity, bring people together, and translate our scientific vision and sponsor priorities into action,” NLR Laboratory Director Jud Virden said. “Bill’s deep understanding of the laboratory, extensive scientific leadership experience, and strong relationships across DOE and the broader research community make him uniquely positioned to step into this role and deliver immediate impact.”

Prior to being named to this new role, Tumas served as NLR’s associate laboratory director for Materials, Chemical, and Computational Science, leading a broad portfolio of fundamental and applied research and overseeing its technical direction, management, and workforce development. Since joining the laboratory in 2009, he has led major program-development efforts, built multi-institutional and international collaborations, directed two Energy Frontier Research Centers, and served as NLR’s point of contact for the DOE Office of Science’s Basic Energy Sciences program.

“We have extraordinary scientific talent and capabilities throughout the laboratory, and I’m excited to help bring those strengths together in new ways to address our nation’s most pressing challenges in critical minerals and energy technologies,” Tumas said. “I’m honored to take on this role, and I look forward to working across NLR to strengthen our research strategy and create new opportunities for our people, our partners, and the laboratory.”

Before joining NLR, Bill spent 17 years at Los Alamos National Laboratory, ultimately serving as program director for Applied Energy Programs. A fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, he has authored more than 65 peer-reviewed publications and holds 12 patents. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry from Ithaca University and earned his doctorate in chemistry at Stanford University.

The National Laboratory of the Rockies is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation, operated under Contract No. DE-AC36-08GO28308.