NETL Director search completed
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy Steven Winberg announced that Brian J. Anderson, Ph.D. will be the new director of DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), effective November 11, 2018. Anderson comes to NETL from West Virginia University (WVU) where he served as director of the WVU Energy Institute. With Anderson’s arrival, NETL’s Acting Director Sean Plasynski, Ph.D., will transition into his new role as the lab’s deputy director and chief operating officer.
“Dr. Anderson’s extensive experience and knowledge in engineering and science is extraordinary. As the only national laboratory that is fully owned and operated by the Department of Energy, I am confident the National Energy Technology Laboratory will continue to make strides in advancing coal, natural gas, oil, and other energy technologies under his leadership,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry.
“We are excited to have Brian join DOE to lead the National Energy Technology Laboratory,” said Winberg. “Brian’s career experience and background in chemical engineering and his leadership as the executive director of WVU’s Energy Institute will no doubt be valuable assets to NETL. I look forward to working with Brian as we advance NETL’s mission to discover, integrate, and mature technology solutions to enhance the nation’s energy foundation and protect the environment for future generations.”
Anderson began his career at WVU in 2006 as an assistant professor in the department of chemical and biomedical engineering. Throughout his tenure at WVU, he became a recognized scientist and subject matter expert in natural gas hydrates, unconventional oil and gas development, and clean coal technologies. In 2014, Anderson founded and built the WVU Energy Institute which is the largest energy collaborative research organization at the university focused on advancing technology through research, development, and demonstration within the energy industry. At WVU, Anderson built successful relationships and partnerships across academic institutions, federal agencies, and the energy industry, as well as paved the pathway for an $83 billion partnership between the state of West Virginia and China.
Anderson has a long history of working with DOE to advance energy technologies. For his work in natural gas hydrates and CO2 sequestration, he received the 2012 Presidential Early Career Award for Science and Engineers, and he received the Department of Energy Secretary Honor Award for his work with DOE in response to the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. A native of West Virginia, Anderson graduated summa cum laude from WVU in 2000 with a B.S. degree in chemical engineering. In 2004 and 2005, he earned his masters and doctorate in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
