Savannah River National Laboratory Establishes Joint Appointment with Clemson University

Dale Hitchcock, a fellow scientist in the Savannah River National Laboratory’s Tritium Technology Division, was recently appointed to Clemson University as a joint appointee, a role through which he will further collaborative research activities between the two institutions.

“I am excited for the opportunity to further collaborate with Clemson,” said Hitchcock. “As an alumni of the Clemson Department of Physics and Astronomy it is always nice to work with previous collaborators. The main areas of collaboration will be the synthesis and characterization of advanced materials for both energy and nuclear applications. I am also excited for the opportunity to further interact with students. Beyond the technical aspects of the collaboration I see this as a great opportunity for workforce development in the state of South Carolina,” said Hitchcock.

SRNL’s Joint Appointment Program is designed to strategically increase the number of collaborations between SRNL and U.S. academic institutions to further research and technical workforce activities of interest to both SRNL and academia. Joint appointees serve as a bridge between academic institutions, SRNL researchers, and students to deliver the future workforce for SRNL and the Department of Energy.

“I am happy to see our long-standing relationship with Savannah River National Laboratory continue to grow, providing unique opportunities for both our faculty and our students to pursue meaningful research that aligns with federal priorities and enhances the nation’s position as a global leader in energy innovation,” said Tanju Karanfil, senior vice president for research, scholarship and creative endeavors at Clemson University.

Hitchcock joined SRNL in 2015 as a staff scientist after working as a postdoctoral researcher in SRNL’s Energy Materials group. Hitchcock’s work at SRNL has primarily focused on material interactions with tritium, an isotope of hydrogen.