[Cuga] Leadership Changes- A message from Jens Dilling

[Lorelei Carlson]

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MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR
December 4, 2025

SUBJECT: Leadership Changes

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to inform you of two leadership changes that are now effective.

Cynthia (Thia) Keppel, Associate Director for Experimental Nuclear Physics

We are sharing with you that Thia, who has served as the associate director for the Experimental Nuclear Physics Division, is contemplating a new opportunity within the laboratory as a principal scientist. In this role, she will transition to an individual contributor position, allowing her to focus more deeply on scientific innovation.

Thia has identified special projects that align closely with our scientific mission and long-term goals.

Douglas Higinbotham will serve as the acting associate director for Experimental Nuclear Physics. Douglas, with a renowned nuclear physics career at Jefferson Lab for almost 25 years, has held the title of Experimental Nuclear Physics operations director for the past three years. He is a graduate of DOE’s Strategic Lab Leadership Program and is an Oppenheimer Science and Energy Leadership Program Fellow. I have full confidence in Douglas’ ability to step into this role and continue supporting the Experimental Nuclear Physics mission.

Andrei Seryi, Associate Director for Accelerator Operations

Andrei, who served as director for Accelerator Operations, is contemplating a new opportunity within the laboratory as a principal scientist. In this role, Andrei will shift to an individual contributor position, allowing him to concentrate on specific scientific operations and strategy.

Mike Spata will assume the role of acting associate director for Accelerator Operations. Mike, currently the deputy associate director for accelerator operations for the past seven years, has been at Jefferson Lab for over 36 years. Also holding the distinguished title of Oppenheimer Fellow, Mike's extensive experience and proven track record in accelerator operations will be beneficial as he leads our accelerator operations team during this transition.

Jefferson Lab will continue its long tradition in nuclear physics excellence, as its central scientific mission, and we remain fully committed to achieving the highest standards in CEBAF reliability and impactful science in support of our user community and with projects like MOLLER and the Electron-Ion Collider.

Please join me in showing your support to Douglas and Mike while a national search is conducted to find permanent replacements for both leadership roles.

Thank you,

Jens
Jefferson Lab Director

12000 JEFFERSON AVENUE • NEWPORT NEWS, VA 23606 • USA • WWW.JLAB.ORG





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