Carol Burns

Carol Burns was recently appointed Deputy Director for Research and Chief Research Officer at Berkeley Lab. Burns joins the Berkeley Lab with deep experience in the DOE national laboratory system. In this role, she is responsible for the development, implementation, and stewardship of Berkeley Lab’s research enterprise, and serves as the Lab’s chief research liaison with the Office of Science, the University, the other national labs, and other key partners.

Carol brings more than 25 years of scientific leadership experience in a national laboratory setting, most recently serving as executive officer to the Deputy Director for Science, Technology, and Engineering at Los Alamos National Laboratory, assisting in oversight of line and DOE program organizations, as well as coordinating the integration of science and technology strategy, as well as associated investments and stewardship mechanisms.

Aditi is the interim Chief Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) Officer at Berkeley Lab. She specializes in diversity, equity, & inclusion (DE&I) strategy, change management, and talent development, combining her marketing & communications expertise with a rich organizational consulting background across the private, non-profit, and government sectors. 

From high-level strategic thinking to practical implementation, Aditi's skills span leadership development, instructional design, facilitation, strategic & tactical planning, strategic communications, team building, and personal and organizational transformation. Aditi is also driven by her passion to ensure that the latest insights from the fields of organizational behavior, social psychology, and education are skillfully and sustainably reflected in workplaces around the world.

Berkeley City Coucilmember Terry Taplin is a poet, slam champion, community organizer, and social democrat born and raised in Southwest Berkeley. Before being elected to represent District 2 on the City Council, Tery served as Vice-Chair of Berkeley’s Transportation Commission and a California Assembly District 15 associate member of the Alameda County Democratic Party Central Committee. Terry previously served the City of Berkeley on the Grants Committee of the Children, Youth, and Recreation Commission and the Grants Committee of the Civic Arts Commission.

Alan Wan is the Executive Director for National Laboratory Programs at the University of California National Laboratories Office.  Alan’s main responsibility in the UC Office is to manage ST&E and program oversight of the three UC-managed national laboratories, including Lawrence Berkeley, Lawrence Livermore, and Los Alamos National Laboratories, and to foster enhanced research collaboration and workforce development opportunities between UC and the national laboratories.  Alan was previously the Deputy Program Director for Weapon Physics and Design at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, with 34 years of experience in high-energy density physics. 

He has received eight DOE/NNSA Awards of Excellence, LLNL Director’s S&T Award, and LLNL Director’s Award for Excellence in Publication in Applied Science for his contributions in stockpile stewardship research.  He has authored or co-authored 40 peer-reviewed journal publications including Nature, Science, Physical Review Letters, and Defense Research Review. Alan received his B.S. degree from University of Michigan and Sc.D. in Nuclear Engineering from M.I.T.

Sarah is the assistant dean of Marketing & Communications at UC Berkeley's College of Engineering. She came to this position after spending more than two decades as a science writer, starting as a journalist in print and online newsrooms before joining UC Berkeley’s media relations office. There, Sarah covered research news in technology, engineering, public health and the environment. When she joined Berkeley Lab’s public affairs office, she wrote about key discoveries in materials science, biosciences and chemical sciences.

In 2018, Sarah returned to the UC Berkeley campus to head communications at Berkeley Engineering, leading a highly skilled team of professionals who find and promote stories and people at one of the top engineering schools in the world. Her group produces content for the college’s website, alumni magazine, newsletters and social media platforms. The team also manages major college events and engagement programs while supporting colleagues in development.