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Jim Roberto is deputy director for science and technology at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. As deputy director, he oversees one of the nation’s largest research and development programs with annual expenditures of $1 billion in materials and physical sciences, energy and engineering sciences, computational sciences, life and environmental sciences, neutron sciences, and national security. Prior to his present appointment, he served as ORNL’s associate laboratory director for physical sciences from 1999 to 2004 and director of the Solid State Division from 1990 to 1999.

Roberto joined ORNL in 1974 following completion of a B.S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Cornell University. His research interests have included x-ray and neutron scattering, ion-surface interactions, materials for fusion reactors, and nanoscale science and technology. Roberto is a former President of the Materials Research Society and Chair of the Division of Materials Physics of the American Physical Society. He has served on three National Research Council committees, most recently as Vice-Chair of the NRC study on Condensed-Matter and Materials Physics. He has testified before Congress on nanotechnology and chaired numerous national and international conferences including the Department of Energy’s NanoSummit in 2004. Roberto is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a recipient of the 2004 National Materials Advancement Award from the Federation of Materials Research Societies.