Credit: ORNL

What are the best and worst things about working at the ORNL?

Our strength is our large scale. We have big facilities, such as the Spallation Neutron Source and the National Leadership Computing Facility. We tackle problems with teams of people from different disciplines. But there is bureaucracy with anything this large and complicated. You have more management and less autonomy than a researcher in academia. The challenge is to not get overwhelmed.

Who is most needed at the ORNL?

We want a range of skills, from fundamental to applied research. We've been hiring everyone from established researchers to postdocs and people starting their careers.

Are opportunities growing?

In the past year, the ORNL has hired about 250 researchers, driven by growth in our big programmes, such as high-performance computing and our neutron facilities, and employee turnover. There are a lot of people who joined in the 1970s, and many are becoming eligible for retirement.

What are the pros and cons of being a scientist in Tennessee?

After the Second World War, there was a debate about whether to keep a lab here. One side said there had been a huge investment, with the world's first research nuclear reactor, and we needed to use it. The other said people came here during the war but would want to go home. But the ORNL was started, and the isolation of the 1940s is less relevant now because we have the Internet and air travel. We have advantages here in cost of living and quality of life. It is less crowded. There are lakes and rivers and mountains. For people who are starting their careers and raising families, there is a lot to like. L.C.