ALS-United is an opportunity to meet the people collaborating at the Advanced Light Source and the ALS Upgrade project. Hear firsthand how team science enables the cutting-edge research of today and builds the facility of the future. This month, we spoke with Elmie People-Evans, project manager for the ALS Upgrade, and Fernando Sannibale division deputy for accelerator operations.
Read the full Q&A below the video.
What does your work entail?
Peoples-Evans: My name is Elmie Peoples-Evans. I am the project manager for the ALS Upgrade project here at Berkeley Lab. My role as a project manager is to ensure that we can deliver this project on time and within budget. To do that, I spend a lot of my time making sure I provide the resources and make the decisions needed for the team to be successful. My role is to make sure each person who is contributing to the project has what they need to complete their scope so we are successful as a whole.
Sannibale: My name is Fernando Sannibale, and I am the ALS division deputy for Accelerator Operations, and the Accelerator Physics Group lead for the ALS. I coordinate a team of approximately 100 people to ensure reliable operation of the Advanced Light Source. The Accelerator Physics Group dedicates a significant part of our time thinking about improvements to the existing machine and conceiving possible upgrades beyond that. ALS-U is an example of the ideas that come from the group.
What career paths led you here? What did you do before you came to the ALS/ALS-U?
Peoples-Evans: I have a background in electrical engineering, a masters degree in electrical engineering, and an MBA. During my time at Fermilab, while I was doing engineering work, I was interested in doing projects. I got the opportunity to experience what it’s like to plan and manage projects. Then I got the opportunity to go to Argonne, working on the Advanced Photon Source (APS) upgrade project. And I spent over a decade there, making sure that project was successful. I believe that project prepared me very well for what’s needed here on ALS-U as well.
Sannibale: My background goes back to Italy, where I completed my studies as a physicist, and my thesis was actually on accelerator physics. In the first ten years of my career, I worked in Frascati, a lab south of Rome, where I was part of the team that built an electron-positron collider called DAΦNE in 2001. When DAΦNE was completed, I applied for a position here at Berkeley Lab, and I was able to convince them to hire me. It’s been 25 years since I first joined the lab.
How do you two work together?
Peoples-Evans: Fernando and I work together very well and very often. I’d say a lot of the time we are meeting to discuss different strategies, resource planning, and scope boundaries between ALS and ALS-U. A lot of our interactions center around making sure both ALS and ALS-U are positioned for success as we move forward and navigate the intricacies of operating while we’re also trying to upgrade the facility.
Sannibale: I totally agree. It’s really a lot of attention on the interfaces, the interaction between people on both sides, and also creating situations where the efficiency of the activities can be improved.
How have things changed since we got together as One ALS?
Peoples-Evans: I’m new to Berkeley, actually. It’ll be a year in July. For me it’s only been One ALS, and I think it’s been a wonderful thing to bring ALS and ALS-U together, because we do have a common goal. We all want to see the best for ALS, and right now, the best thing we can do for ALS is to complete ALS-U.
Sannibale: This effort is to create an efficient interaction between ALS and ALS-U. At the beginning of the project, the projects were kind of siloed into the two parts. And we could not exploit our shared resources in an effective way. There was duplication. There were also communication issues associated with that. Now, with One ALS, the common coordination between the project and the facility has started to happen. Some of the groups were integrated, so that’s also dramatically improved the efficiency of our work. One ALS is a big change in a positive direction.
What are some recent accomplishments you are proud of?
Peoples-Evans: The biggest achievement, I think, for both ALS and ALS-U, was when the project received approval from th4e Energy Systems Acquisition Advisory Board (ESAAP). That means we have approval for the rebaseline. That allowed us to continue executing the project on this positive trajectory that we’ve created for the team. Other big accomplishments include the radiofrequency (RF) cavity conditioning that is happening now, thanks to a lot of the support from those in ALS and Engineering. We’ve also been able to install all the items in the tunnel for the accumulator ring (AR). That’s another big achievement. Right now, we’re working on installing the rest of the cable plant and other electrical infrastructure for the AR in preparation for commissioning the AR sometime in spring of 2027.
Sannibale: I’m very proud about the team, the ALS team and the ALS-U team. In this One ALS configuration, this distinction tends to disappear. The team was able to operate a 24/7 facility for users, while at the same time doing a lot of installation and work for the upgrade project. From the accelerator physics point of view, we started a couple of years ago about developing a nucleus of scientists working on machine learning, AI, and large language model applications for an accelerator. We hired a couple of postdocs who specialized in that work and, coupled with the accelerator physicists in the group, we were able to develop applications that are used in user operations and improve the quality of the photon beam we are delivering.
What’s on the horizon for your team?
Peoples-Evans: We have a lot of plans to get everything that’s necessary installed for the AR during the summer shutdown. Then we can do all the integrated testing in preparation for conditioning the AR next spring. That will be one of the biggest achievements for the project as a whole. The work on the AR has been going on for quite some time now. Fernando probably knows better than I do, but I think that will be a culmination of everyone’s efforts over the past years and will put everyone in a wonderful mood, showing that they’ve done a wonderful job to bringing the new machine to ALS.
Sannibale: In the short term, in less than a year, we will be commissioning the AR. The accelerator physics group was from the very beginning, a shared resource between the project and the facility. All the people in the group are gearing up, preparing, and planning the details of the commissioning. That will be exciting after all this effort to finally see the results. On the accelerator physics side, as I said, we are really putting a lot of focus and resources in continuing the machine learning aspect of that.
What do you like to do in your free time?
Sannibale: Do you have any free time?
Peoples-Evans: Not a lot of it, but when I do have some free time, I love sports, I’m into football and basketball, both college and professional. Occasionally, I may watch baseball or soccer. I love tennis all year around. I am definitely watching tennis. The other thing I really like to do is spend time with my son playing video games. I’m not as good as he is, but I do love the competition, and it does help ground me when things get a little bit stressful here on the project.
Sannibale: I love to play guitar. I really enjoy that. I’m not sure my family and friends enjoy it as much as I do. My wife and I like to travel and, when possible, go scuba diving in warm waters.