Dr. Michael S. Witherell today announced his intention to retire next spring from his position as director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) after nearly a decade of service. Dr. Witherell has led the lab through a historic period of scientific achievement and recognized operational excellence, with a deep commitment to developing the next generation of scientists.
Witherell is Berkeley Lab’s 8th director and has led the lab since March 2016. He plans to continue as lab director until approximately June 2026 while the University of California (UC) searches for his successor. Berkeley Lab is managed by UC on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science.
“Leading Berkeley Lab continues to be the greatest privilege of my career,” Witherell stated. “The lab's researchers continue to make breakthroughs across all areas of science and to deliver scientific solutions addressing the most important national priorities.”
During his tenure, Witherell’s leadership has strengthened the lab’s position as a world-leading institution for breakthrough science and energy solutions for the nation. The lab’s programs in materials, chemistry, physics, biology, earth and environmental science, mathematics, and computing have made significant contributions to addressing the nation’s needs. Witherell spearheaded lab initiatives in quantum information science and artificial intelligence for science. These programs foresaw national priorities and have since become major DOE initiatives.
Since 2016, the lab’s continuing scientific excellence has been recognized with three Nobel Prizes, two National Medals, and 31 members elected to the National Academies of Science and Engineering. In addition, Berkeley Lab has collectively earned 54 DOE Early Career Research awards (2010-2024), more than any other national laboratory.
“Dr. Witherell’s forward-looking leadership has further advanced Berkeley Lab’s well-recognized position as a global scientific powerhouse that serves our state and nation,” said University of California President Michael V. Drake, M.D. “He has fostered an environment that not only produces world-class research but leads to real-world scientific solutions. We are deeply grateful for his long service to the University and the nation, helping to ensure the laboratory’s continued success and impact for decades to come.”
Witherell also has overseen a historic period of renewal of the laboratory’s research and site infrastructure, securing unprecedented federal support for modernizations that solidify the lab’s preeminence decades into the future. This has included overseeing a portfolio of investments by DOE valued at over $1 billion for new research facilities and infrastructure renewal, including:
- Beginning a significant upgrade to the Advanced Light Source (the largest modernization project at the lab in three decades).
- Completing the Perlmutter supercomputer for the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC-9) and beginning the construction of the Doudna supercomputer (NERSC-10) in partnership with Dell and NVIDIA.
- Completing an upgrade to the Energy Sciences Network (ESnet), the nation’s premier data network for science, two years ahead of schedule.
- Completing the construction of two major research buildings on the site of the historic Bevatron. Together, these $100M+ research buildings are central to the renewal of the laboratory’s infrastructure, and like all future new buildings will house multiple programs.
Under Witherell’s leadership, Berkeley Lab has achieved the highest performance ratings from the DOE’s Office of Science (DOE-SC), becoming the first of the 10 DOE-SC laboratories to receive grades of A- or above in all eight areas of its annual performance evaluation.
In these evaluations, DOE officials have repeatedly commended the laboratory for its "compelling vision" and its ability to "assemble outstanding research teams" to tackle the nation’s most pressing challenges.
Witherell's most enduring legacy will be his focus on Berkeley Lab’s people and culture. In championing a "culture of stewardship," he called on all leadership and staff to accept personal and collective responsibility for taking care of the lab’s people, research and resources so Berkeley Lab can continue to serve the nation as one of the world’s top research institutions for decades to come.
The University of California will soon announce plans for a national search for Witherell’s successor.
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Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) is committed to groundbreaking research focused on discovery science and solutions for abundant and reliable energy supplies. The lab’s expertise spans materials, chemistry, physics, biology, earth and environmental science, mathematics, and computing. Researchers from around the world rely on the lab’s world-class scientific facilities for their own pioneering research. Founded in 1931 on the belief that the biggest problems are best addressed by teams, Berkeley Lab and its scientists have been recognized with 16 Nobel Prizes. Berkeley Lab is a multiprogram national laboratory managed by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.
DOE’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science.