Message from Carol
Dear Colleagues:
In the last few weeks, I’ve been thinking more about diversity in research and innovation, a topic close to my heart. Diversity is essential for scientific excellence and innovation, and our sponsors are increasingly requiring us to pay careful attention to diversity and inclusivity.
In this vein, this issue of Research News features two women researchers whose innovations have been put forward for patent applications with the goal of transitioning their technologies and software solutions to the marketplace. You will read about a young woman postdoc who recently left the Lab and is now working to make an impact in the world through her role in industry. You will also read about the resources that the IDEA and SPO teams, in collaboration with others, are offering to researchers who are submitting Office of Science proposals that now require Promoting Inclusive and Equitable Research (PIER) plans.
I hope that this spring finds you well and excited about new opportunities to connect with colleagues across the Lab and to collaborate with them to bring science solutions to the world.
Sincerely,
Carol Burns
Deputy Laboratory Director for Research
Chief Research Officer
Commercializing Lab Technologies: a Chat with Two Research Scientists
Research News recently spoke with two women at the Lab who are working to bring their solutions to the marketplace. Inventor Marca Doeff, who is the Division Deputy of the Energy Storage and Distributed Resources Division (ESDR) in the Energy Technologies Area, and software developer and inventor Mariam Kiran, a research scientist with the Energy Sciences Network (ESnet) and the Computing Sciences Area’s Scientific Data Division, shared their thoughts about the process of commercializing Lab technologies.
Mariah Parker: From Postdoc to Industry R&D Chemist
Research News periodically features a former Lab postdoc who has continued their career in academia, government, industry, or another sector. In this issue, we catch up with Mariah Parker, who was a postdoc in the Energy Sciences Area from 2019 to 2022, and who is now a senior research and development chemist at Afton Chemical in Richmond, Virginia.
NEED TO KNOW
Developing Effective PIER Plans for Office of Science Proposals
This year, the Department of Energy’s Office of Science has redoubled its efforts to improve Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility related outcomes within scientific research. For example, Office of Science proposals are now required to include Promoting Inclusive and Equitable Research (PIER) plans, which are activities and strategies to promote equity and inclusion as an intrinsic element to advancing scientific excellence in the proposed research project. To support Lab researchers who are submitting proposals, the Strategic Partnerships Office (SPO) and the IDEA Office have developed resources.
DOE Policies Regarding Foreign Government-sponsored & Affiliated Activities
Global scientific collaboration continues to be of fundamental importance to Berkeley Lab’s mission, and much of our success is based on engagements with colleagues both in the U.S. and abroad. But as an employee, you have some important responsibilities to ensure our collaborations and interactions are appropriate and permitted by federal law.
Read about your responsibilities as required by DOE policies.
GOOD TO KNOW
SPO Launches a New Intranet
The Strategic Partnerships Office (SPO) recently reimagined their internal website to provide a more streamlined experience for researchers and operations staff who are looking for resources to develop partnerships, proposals, and submissions for research awards.
Visit the new SPO intranet site. If you have questions or feedback, reach out to spo@lbl.gov.
