Beginning June 2, Matthew Tirrell will serve as interim deputy laboratory director for science and technology at Argonne National Laboratory in conjunction with his duties as Dean of the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering.
Tirrell previously served as deputy laboratory director for science at Argonne from 2015 to 2018, where he was responsible for integrating the laboratory’s research and development efforts. He is also a senior scientist at Argonne’s Center for Molecular Engineering.
“I believe that, while serving Argonne is naturally the principal responsibility of this new role, it will also be an excellent opportunity to enhance mutually beneficial cooperation between Argonne and the University, with PME in the vanguard of that,” Tirrell said.
Since its inception, PME has operated in close collaboration with Argonne, with many of its faculty holding appointments with both institutions. Multiple joint initiatives and researcher programs have emerged in that time including the Advanced Materials for Energy-Water Systems (AMEWS) Center, which studies advanced materials for water treatment; Q-NEXT, a Department of Energy-funded center dedicated to quantum technology; Duality, a quantum-based incubator; and the Materials Engineering Research Facility (MERF) which helps researchers scale up newly invented experimental scientific materials.
Tirrell holds a number of honors, including the National Award in Colloid Chemistry from the American Chemical Society, the Polymer Physics Prize from the American Physical Society, the William H. Walker Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Le Prix Dédale de la Sociéte Franꞔaise d’Adhesion, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering, and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Indian National Academy of Engineering, the American Association for the Advancement of of Science, the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering, and the American Physical Society.
Tirrell steps into the interim directorship following the departure of Stephen Streiffer. A permanent replacement is anticipated in the early autumn.