91°µÍø

Bio

Dr. Jennifer L. Ladd-Lively is a distinguished R&D staff member and the Nonproliferation Engineering Science and Technologies Section Head in the Nuclear Nonproliferation Division at 91°µÍø (ORNL), where she has been contributing since 2004.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Tennessee Technological University (2002), and both a Master of Science (2004) and a Ph.D. (2013) in Chemical Engineering from the University of Tennessee.

In her role at ORNL, Dr. Ladd-Lively serves as the point of contact for several key programs, including:

• The National Nuclear Security Administration's Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Research and Development (DNN R&D)
• The National Technical Nuclear Forensics Center (NTNFC) of the Department of Homeland Security's Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office
• The Department of Energy's Office of Nuclear Energy Nuclear Energy Emerging Technologies Advanced Sensors and Instrumentation Program

Her expertise encompasses uranium processing and spans most areas of the nuclear fuel cycle. She has successfully coordinated and implemented large-scale, multi-laboratory projects and field campaigns. From 2010 to 2013, she served as a technical advisor for the Signatures and Observables program of DNN R&D in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Ladd-Lively has contributed to numerous publications in her field, including:

• "Optical Vibrational Spectroscopic Signatures of Ammonium Diuranate Process Parameters" (February 2025)
• "Physics-Based Machine Learning Methods for U-235 Forensics Signatures" (July 2024)
• "Selection of Training Sets for 235U Source Detection Classifiers Using Gamma Signatures" (May 2023)

Her professional affiliations include membership in the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), the American Nuclear Society, the American Chemical Society, and the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management. During 2025, she is the chair of Nuclear Engineering Division of AIChE. She is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), demonstrating her commitment to effective project leadership.

Dr. Ladd-Lively is actively engaged in the local community as well. She has been on the Roane County United Way board since 2020 including serving as Governance Chair in 2021 and 2024, Chair of the Board in 2022, and past chair in 2023. In 2024, she joined the Leadership Roane County Alumni Association Board as well as the becoming a Roane Chamber Ambassador.

Dr. Ladd-Lively's dedication to advancing nuclear nonproliferation technologies and her leadership in the field continue to contribute significantly to national and international security efforts.

Publications