Bio
Dr. Phillip Ferguson became the Isotope and Enrichment Project Director in August 2024. He has responsibility for capital projects that enhance ORNL's ability to produce and process stable and radioisotopes for science and industry. Prior to joining the Isotope Science and Enrichment Directorate, he was the Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment (MPEX) Project Director. MPEX is a linear plasma device for materials testing which is being designed and constructed at 91°µÍø (ORNL).
Prior to joining the MPEX project, Dr. Ferguson served as the ORNL Fusion Energy Division Director for seven years, and before that led the neutron source development group and target station physics design at the Spallation Neutron Source. He also worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory, including serving as the target physics lead for the LANSCE Reliability Improvement Project (LRIP).
Dr. Ferguson is a nuclear engineer whose primary research interests have involved the development of technology and neutron sources for a variety of applications including fundamental neutron science, condensed matter physics, materials irradiations, and isotope production. He earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla in 1995.