Jefferson Lab Leadership

Jens Dilling, a renowned physicist, is widely recognized for his contributions to nuclear physics, isotope science, and large-scale facility development. He brings more than 25 years of scientific leadership and management experience to the role.  

Dilling leads Jefferson Lab’s more than 900 employees and five accelerators, including the most well-known, the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF). Jefferson Lab features the first large-scale superconducting radiofrequency accelerator, which enables the research of more than 1,600 nuclear physicists worldwide.

As Laboratory Director, Dilling provides the vision for the lab’s operations and future and oversees the successful delivery of its research program while also ensuring Jefferson Lab complies with DOE regulations and fulfills its mission. He will oversee construction of the Jefferson Lab Data Center, where the new High Performance Data Facility will be housed.

Prior to joining TJNAF, Dilling served as associate laboratory director for neutron sciences at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), leading the High Flux Isotope Reactor and Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) research portfolios. At ORNL, he led efforts to enhance the lab’s capabilities in quantum information science and materials sciences. He also developed the science drivers for the SNS Second Target Station, a new $2 billion DOE project that just completed its Critical Decision 3A review.

His prior experience includes more than 20 years at TRIUMF, Canada’s national particle accelerator center, where he played a pivotal role in establishing one of the world’s leading isotope science programs.

Dilling holds a doctorate in atomic and nuclear physics from the University of Heidelberg in Germany. He has received numerous prestigious awards, including the Rutherford Memorial Medal of the Royal Society of Canada for breakthrough discoveries in nuclear physics and the Scientific Achievement Award from the European Exotic Nuclei Community. Dilling also was named a fellow of the American Physical Society and has been serving on many international advisory boards and scientific committees, demonstrating his commitment to fostering collaboration across the global research community.

Eric N. Brown will join the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab) in June 2026 as Deputy Director for Science and Technology (DDST) and Chief Research Officer. In this role, he will lead the laboratory’s scientific vision and strategy, advancing its mission in nuclear physics, accelerator science and technology, and related disciplines.

Brown brings more than two decades of experience in large-scale scientific leadership, accelerator-based user facilities, and multidisciplinary research. He currently serves as director of the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) and senior director within the Physical Sciences Associate Laboratory Directorate at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Since joining the laboratory in 2003 as a postdoctoral researcher, he has held a range of leadership positions, including technical advisor for the joint Department of Defense/Department of Energy Munitions Technology Program, director of both the Neutron Science and Technology Group and the Explosive Science and Shock Physics Division, and co-lead of the Nuclear and Particle Futures capability pillar.

As LANSCE director, Brown leads one of the nation’s premier accelerator facilities supporting neutron scattering, nuclear science, ultracold neutron research, proton radiography, and isotope production. He oversees a complex user program serving hundreds of researchers annually and guides a major multiyear accelerator modernization effort to enhance facility reliability and scientific capability. His leadership emphasizes operational excellence, collaboration, and a strong commitment to the scientific workforce.

At Jefferson Lab, Brown will oversee the laboratory’s scientific portfolio, including operations of the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF), preparations for the Electron-Ion Collider, and development of future research initiatives. He will work closely with federal partners, the user community, and institutional stakeholders to strengthen the lab’s role at the forefront of discovery and innovation.

Brown is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the Society for Experimental Mechanics. He earned his Ph.D. in theoretical and applied mechanics and his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

With a distinguished record of advancing scientific infrastructure and leading complex research enterprises, Brown is well positioned to guide Jefferson Lab’s continued impact in fundamental science and national priorities.

As Deputy Lab Director for Operations and COO, Johnathon Huff is responsible for the operations functions of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, including business and finance, health and safety, human resources, procurement, facilities management, communications, and legal and performance assurance.

Huff has more than a decade of experience in the DOE’s national lab system. Prior to joining Jefferson Lab, he held research and development (R&D) and operations leadership positions at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, including senior member of technical staff; research and development emerging technologies manager; engineered safety and performance assurance senior manager and senior manager of microelectronics engineering, science and applications; and environment, safety, and health director.

Prior to joining Jefferson Lab, he served as interim associate lab director for national security programs, leading a team of more than 2,000 employees with an estimated $850M budget. He was also the executive champion for research and recruiting for the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he was responsible for a multimillion-dollar research portfolio that ranged from cybersecurity to radiation effects on semiconductor devices.

Huff held several operations and research and development roles prior to entering the national lab system, including program manager and operations leader at Lockheed Martin, associate system engineer at Boecore Inc., and process engineer at Intel Corporation.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, a master’s in electrical engineering from Drexel University, and a doctorate in industrial and systems engineering with an emphasis in mathematical modeling and optimization from Mississippi State University.