New director announced for Fermilab

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory has a new director.

Norbert Holtkamp will take over Jan. 12, the University of Chicago announced Monday.

Holtkamp is the former deputy director of the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory at Stanford University. He is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution think tank, and a professor of particle physics, astrophysics and photon science at SLAC and Stanford.

University of Chicago is one of three partners in the Fermi Forward Discovery Group LLC, which operates the Batavia-based laboratory for the Energy Department.

“We’re excited to welcome Norbert, who brings of a wealth of scientific and managerial experience to Fermilab,” university President Paul Alivisatos said in a news release. “He will champion Fermilab’s mission of pioneering scientific discovery, help ensure the success of projects critical to the lab’s future, strengthen the relationships necessary for shared achievements and inspire the next generation of researchers.”

While with SLAC, he managed the construction of the Linac Coherent Light Source upgrade (LCLS-II), the world’s most powerful X-ray laser, along with more than $2 billion of on-site construction projects. He previously served as the principal deputy director general for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), a multinational organization working to achieve fusion power at a power-plant scale.

Holtkamp worked at Fermilab from 1998 to 2001, including commissioning of the Main Injector, which is the laboratory’s most powerful particle accelerator.

“I am deeply honored to have been selected as the next director of Fermilab,” Holtkamp said. “Fermilab has done so much to advance our collective understanding of the fundamentals of our universe.”

He replaces interim director Young-Kee Kim. Kim took over in January 2025 after Lea Merminga quit after almost three years in the position. Before Merminga, the lab was led by Nigel Lockyer for eight years.