Facility Director, Advanced Plant Phenotyping Laboratory (APPL)

Oak Ridge National Laboratory•Oak Ridge, TN

12d

About The Position

The Biosciences Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory seeks an accomplished scientific leader to serve as Facility Director of the Advanced Plant Phenotyping Laboratory (APPL) and its integrated bioscience capabilities. APPL combines plant phenotyping, controlled-environment experimentation, greenhouse operations, automation, imaging, and advanced data and computational tools to support research across ORNL and with external collaborators. The Facility Director provides scientific and operational leadership for APPL and greenhouse operations while guiding the development and integration of bioscience automation capabilities across the division. Working with facility staff, investigators, automation teams, division leadership, and the APPL Steering Committee, the director shapes APPL’s scientific vision, operating model, and long-term growth. The role is accountable for scientific direction, facility performance, user access, program development, and sustainability. The director develops APPL’s scientific and operational strategy; leads facility operations and user engagement; integrates automation and related research capabilities; develops partnerships and programs; and stewards resources through a sustainable operating plan. The position requires an MS degree in a relevant discipline and substantial leadership experience; an equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered. A Ph.D. and experience in relevant research facilities, plant science, automation, or related areas are preferred. Employment at ORNL requires Real ID-compliant identification and the ability to obtain and maintain a federal PIV credential after a favorable background investigation. Certain foreign national candidates who do not meet the U.S. residency requirement will need a favorable LSSO risk determination to maintain employment.

Requirements

MS degree in a relevant scientific, engineering, technical, or operational discipline and substantial experience leading research facilities, technical operations, scientific programs, or multidisciplinary organizations; an equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
10–12 years of experience leading complex scientific, technical, operational, or facility-based organizations, including responsibility for personnel, budgets, strategic planning, and operational performance.
Demonstrated experience managing staff, resources, priorities, and organizational objectives in a dynamic research or technical environment.
Experience developing research programs, proposals, partnerships, or other sources of programmatic support.
Strong communication, planning, organizational, and people-leadership skills, with the ability to build consensus among diverse stakeholders.
Must obtain and maintain a federal PIV credential following a favorable background investigation, or, for eligible foreign national candidates who have not met the residency requirement, obtain a favorable LSSO risk determination to maintain employment.
Must provide Real ID-compliant identification for employment at ORNL.

Nice To Haves

Ph.D. in a relevant scientific, engineering, or technical discipline.
Experience operating a research facility, shared scientific resource, user facility, greenhouse operation, or comparable technical organization.
Experience with project intake, access review, prioritization, scheduling, costing, resource planning, and operational management.
Experience in plant phenotyping, plant biology, controlled-environment research, greenhouse systems, automation, imaging, data-intensive research, or related areas.
Experience building and leading multidisciplinary teams within complex research organizations.
Experience with national laboratories, DOE programs, or other federal sponsors.
Experience building collaborations with universities, industry, government agencies, or other research institutions.
Familiarity with integrating experimental, automation, data, and computational workflows across research areas.
Experience developing sustainable operating models, business processes, or resource-allocation strategies for shared research capabilities.

Responsibilities

Develop and implement APPL’s scientific and operational strategy in alignment with ORNL priorities, sponsor opportunities, and user needs.
Establish and communicate a vision for APPL that advances ORNL’s biological and environmental research capabilities and supports emerging scientific opportunities.
Identify opportunities to expand APPL capabilities and strengthen integration across biology, automation, imaging, computing, and data science.
Advise BSD leadership and the APPL Steering Committee on strategic priorities, performance, opportunities, and risks.
Lead APPL and greenhouse operations, including facility performance, staffing, safety, maintenance, and coordination of shared spaces and workflows.
Establish transparent processes for project intake, scientific and technical review, prioritization, approval, scheduling, access, costing, and closeout.
Ensure proposed work is scientifically appropriate, technically feasible, safe, adequately resourced, and consistent with facility capacity and sponsor requirements.
Communicate facility capabilities, access requirements, applicable costs, facility support, data practices, and project responsibilities to users.
Monitor utilization, service quality, safety, maintenance, operating costs, and user feedback, and use these measures to improve facility performance.
Lead the development and integration of bioscience automation capabilities across BSD, connecting plant and microbial research needs.
Integrate phenotyping, greenhouse, controlled-environment, automation, imaging, and data capabilities into coordinated research workflows.
Work with automation organizations, including the Microbial Engineering Automation Laboratory, to strengthen capability alignment and operational effectiveness.
Collaborate with BSD leadership to establish clear roles, priorities, and interfaces for automation staff and capabilities across the division.
Build APPL’s internal and external user community and develop partnerships with DOE programs, other federal agencies, universities, industry, and research facilities.
Lead or support sponsor engagement and proposal development in collaboration with BSD leadership and investigators.
Represent APPL within ORNL and to external stakeholders, highlighting the facility’s capabilities, scientific achievements, and strategic value.
Develop and maintain a sustainable operating plan based on appropriate user and project charges, programmatic and facility support, institutional commitments, partnerships, and other approved funding sources.
Assess staffing and resource needs, identify sustainability risks, and recommend adjustments when planned work exceeds available support.
Ensure effective stewardship of facility resources while balancing user needs, scientific priorities, and operational requirements.
Coordinate with investigators and BSD leadership when projects or personnel change; keep facility access decisions distinct from decisions about project leadership, scientific responsibility, and funding commitments.