SSRL Management Structure is Reorganized to Streamline and Better Integrate Operations and Research Functions

- K. Hodgson

In anticipation of the increased running time made possible by the DOE Scientific Facilities Initiative, SSRL undertook a careful evaluation of its management structure beginning in the late Spring of 1995. Motivation for this was provided by the need to operate the lab essentially full time for users (about a 50% increase in run time) but with funding for only about a 20% increase in staffing levels. Increasingly sophisticated experiments as well as emerging new user communities bringing in less synchrotron-knowledgeable scientists also contributed to the need to assess the organizational structure.

As a result of a careful and thorough process in which input was sought from staff, faculty, and users, it was decided to structure the laboratory into three departments (down from the previous four) - the accelerator systems department (ASD, headed by Max Cornacchia), the experimental systems and research department (ESRD, co-headed by Piero Pianetta and Keith Hodgson), and the administrative services department (headed by Ron Gould). The management activities were divided into two areas: day-to-day operations and short to medium range planning to be done by a newly created Laboratory Management Group (LMG) and long range planning and strategic issues by the SSRL Directorate. The LMG is chaired by Keith Hodgson who assumed the new title of Deputy Associate Director of SLAC for SSRL; Artie Bienenstock continues to head the Directorate as part of his responsibilities as Associate Director of SLAC for SSRL.

Within this organizational framework several additional changes were made. The beam line and accelerator operations groups were merged and moved as one into the ESRD, thus providing for more effective utilization of a larger pool of technical talent and crosstraining. The old Research Department was also incorporated into ESRD so that more effective coordination could occur between operations and research activities -especially where they had common needs for limited technical resources. The new ESRD also incorporates all research -biotech, soft and hard x-ray -and hence enables more effective coordination and planning. Created within the ESRD is a new group for beam line and optics development (headed by Tom Rabedeau) whose focus will be to develop new beam lines and work on incremental upgrades to the older beam line optical systems (see the Beam Line 9 and 11 articles elsewhere in this newsletter ). The ASD is structured to handle both mechanical and electronics improvements and maintenance of SPEAR as well as manage new projects like the LCLS design study and R&D.

An additional organizational change has been in the area of computational resources and oversight. A subcommittee of LMG to coordinate computing activities within SSRL has been created (under the chairmanship of Graham George and Ron Gould). This subcommittee is involved in evaluating and recommending standards for future implementations in both hardware and software, in prioritizing and allocating resources for computational activities and in helping maintain an effective liaison with the various SLAC computer committees and activities.

Users are encouraged to contact any members of the SSRL management groups with suggestions or comments. A list of the memberships of the various committees can be found in the annual activity report.

Newsletter Contents