Karl Mueller has been named the new director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames National Laboratory, operated by Iowa State University. He starts his new role June 1. Since 2021, Mueller has served as the director of the Program Development Office for the Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate (PCSD) at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash. Before that, he was chief science and technology officer for PCSD for six years.
Mueller’s scholarly record includes more than 195 peer-reviewed papers detailing the development of magnetic resonance methods and applied studies in natural and engineered systems, according to a news release. “I am honored to join Ames National Laboratory, an institution renowned for its pioneering work in rare earth elements, quantum materials, and sustainable energy technologies,” Mueller said in a prepared statement. “The laboratory’s excellence in materials discovery and characterization, combined with its deep integration with Iowa State University, creates unique opportunities to address our nation’s critical science and technology challenges.” In addition to leading the laboratory, Mueller will be a tenured professor in ISU’s Department of Chemistry. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Rochester and completed a postgraduate studies certificate at the University of Cambridge.