Ringleaders & Postdocs

I welcome all members of the ALS community back for a new year. We had a fine 2011 that included an excellent review by the Department of Energy as well as the launching of a number of new activities. We are starting 2012 with the promise of healthy funding for both user operations and machineRead More Read more »

I joined the ALS family in 2007, filling the newly created position of ALS Division Deputy for Engineering. Because a large percentage of ALS staff are part of the Engineering Division, this position was created to establish shared management in the two divisions to ensure better integration and coordination between engineering and non-engineering ALS staff.Read More Read more »

The operational performance of the ALS has improved continuously after overcoming the challenges presented by the injector upgrade to enable top-off operations in 2007. In the last six months, reliability, mean-time-between-failures and mean-time-to-recovery have reached levels never before achieved at the ALS (see this month’s article “Twelve Superlative User Weeks at the ALS”). This includesRead More Read more »

In my new role as ALS Division Deputy for Biosciences I am working with bioscience researchers at the ALS to develop an integrated strategic plan. Lab Director Paul Alivisatos, Physical Biosciences and Life Sciences Division Directors, and ALS leadership identified this activity as important for the future of Lab biosciences, and for making a caseRead More Read more »

How do you explain how a synchrotron works to a fidgety five-year-old and her tired parents? Well, you turn her into an electron, hand her a ping-pong ball “photon” and send her careening around a synchrotron obstacle course that has been painted in brilliant colors on the ALS parking lot. After she “accelerates” down aRead More Read more »

Although officially retired, in May I agreed to help the ALS part-time in light of Bob Schoenlein’s new role helping to plan for a next generation light source at Berkeley Lab. As the ALS Interim Deputy Director for Science, I now have the opportunity to work with a different part of the ALS organization thanRead More Read more »

The ALS is preparing for an extended shutdown that begins on June 13 and will extend until August 11 when user operations resume. This shutdown will be one of the busiest and most significant we have had since the Top-Off installation in 2008. The most critical activity, and that which dictate the extended length ofRead More Read more »

I am responsible for the Business Management (BM) group at the ALS. Additionally I am responsible for resource and division workforce management, and I oversee human resource activities within the division. My biggest challenge is managing the ALS budget. I have the daily pleasure of working with some uniquely talented individuals, each of whom isRead More Read more »

The members of the Control Systems Group design, support, and maintain the control systems for the accelerator and many of the beamlines at the ALS. The Accelerator Controls Section is headed by Alan Biocca and Chris Timossi, and the Beamline Controls Section is led by Ed Domning and Brian Smith. The Accelerator Control Section managesRead More Read more »

As head of User Services I am responsible for the ALS User Office, the Experiment Coordination Group and the ALS Communications Group. I am available to users to discuss information about the ALS; if I cannot answer your question myself, I can identify whom you need to talk to. Please drop by my room inRead More Read more »