Jud Virden, Ph.D., Appointed Laboratory Director at NREL - CleanTechnica

Jud Virden, Ph.D., has been appointed as the new director of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and president of the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, which manages NREL for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). He will assume the role on October 1, 2025, succeeding Dr. Martin Keller. Virden was selected after a national search and brings extensive leadership experience from his tenure as associate laboratory director at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), where he oversaw about 1,700 staff working on DOE energy priorities including grid modernization and environmental management. His background includes a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Washington and a strong record in public-private partnerships and advancing energy technologies. Dr. Virden’s appointment is seen as a strategic fit for NREL’s mission to accelerate energy innovation, with Alliance board co-chairs praising his scientific rigor, strategic vision, and collaborative approach. He expressed eagerness to build on NREL’s reputation and