Dr. Vahid Majidi Named Savannah River NationalLaboratory Director

Aiken, S.C. – March 1, 2018 – Dr. Vahid Majidi has been named Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) Executive Vice President and Savannah River National Laboratory ( SRNL) Director, replacing Dr. Terry Michalske, who recently announced his decision to step down. 

“Vahid’s extensive experience in addressing national issues and proven leadership skills make him an ideal fit to oversee SRNL,” Stuart MacVean SRNS President and CEO, said. “His role in this key leadership position, demonstrates our ongoing commitment to achieve meaningful and sustainable mission growth at SRNL.” 

Vahid is a decorated former member of the senior executive service and senior intelligence service with direct reporting responsibilities to the Secretary of Defense, Director of National Intelligence and the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 

Most recently, Vahid served as a Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies, Inc., providing solutions in highly complex scientific, engineering, technical, and research and development environments. 

Vahid served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Matters, where he was responsible for all aspects of nuclear weapon surety and the management, integration and coordination of activities relating to the acquisition and modernization of the nuclear weapons stockpile. 

Prior to joining the Department of Defense, Vahid served as the Chief Scientist for Infrastructure Protection & Security business unit at TASC Inc., and the Director of University Multispectral Laboratories focusing on national security, homeland security and issues concerning advanced technologies. 

From 2006 to 2012, Vahid served as the Assistant Director for the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Directorate at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, where he was responsible for coordinating and managing the FBI’s equities, activities and investigations involving WMD. Specifically, the Directorate was charged with developing and executing an integrated approach to deny access to WMD materials and technologies, prevent WMD attacks and respond to WMD threats and incidents. 

In 2003, Vahid was appointed by the Deputy Attorney General to serve as the Chief Science Advisor to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and was detailed from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to the Department of Justice where he was responsible for coordinating science and technology policy among the Department’s component agencies and with state and local law enforcement entities. He served as the lead Department representative for biosecurity, pathogen forensics, DNA technologies, biometrics programs and as the liaison to the scientific community 

Vahid also served as the Chemistry Division Leader at LANL before he began his assignment with the Department of Justice and was also a tenured associate professor of chemistry at the University of Kentucky, where his research activities were focused on measurement science and technology. 

Vahid received his bachelors degree in chemistry from Eastern Michigan University and his doctorate from Wayne State University. He was a Post Doctoral Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin. Savannah River National Laboratory is a multi-program national laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management. Savannah River National Laboratory puts science to work providing practical, cost-effective solutions for the nation’s environmental, nuclear security, energy and manufacturing challenges.