For almost a month now, TRIUMF's Science Division has been under new management. Completing his success-laden career at TRIUMF, Gordon Ball stepped down as head of the Science Division to embark on an active retirement that features research, mentoring, and occasionally taking a day off from the lab. Who could fill those big shoes? Reiner Krücken from Technische Universität München (TUM), of course.
On February 1, 2011, Reiner joined TRIUMF's senior leadership team as the new Head of the Science Division. His first month on the job has been filled with meetings, learning his way around TRIUMF (both intellectually and physically), teaching nuclear physics to visiting state officials (e.g., the Ambassador of Israel to Canada and the federal minister for science and technology), and facilitating the relocation of his home from Germany to Canada.
Reiner brings world-wide expertise in nuclear physics to TRIUMF and has deep familiarity with rare-isotope beam facilities in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. He lists his research interests as: "nuclear structure; nuclear reactions; nuclear astrophysics; hadron properties in hot, dense nuclear matter; detector developments; biological and medical applications of nuclear methods; particle-induced light emission in dense gases and liquids; and transmutation of nuclear waste." He earned his Ph.D. in nuclear physics from Universität zu Köln and worked in the U.S. at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Wright Nuclear Structure Laboratory at Yale before moving to TUM in 2002. At TUM, Dr. Krücken led a large group of researchers as part of the federal cluster of excellence on "Origins and Structure of the Universe." He holds the rank of C-4 professor in Germany, the highest rank in the institutional system.
One of the attractions to TRIUMF, says Dr. Krücken, is the Advanced Rare Isotope Laboratory (ARIEL) project. This facility, when fully operational, has the potential to transform Canada's global place in nuclear physics and will have a competitive advantage in a number of key thrusts in isotopes for science and medicine. Reiner is already taking the initiative by organizing a summer workshop with global community involvement to develop the scientific program for the first year of the facility.
Outgoing division head Gordon Ball has promised to work with Reiner over the next few months to ensure a smooth transition. No doubt, both will be quite busy.
Welcome Reiner, and congratulations on your first month at the helm! Thank you, Gordon, for your superb service and deep commitment to the laboratory's success. But no need for gooodbyes because we'll be seeing you more often on the floors of ISAC-I and ISAC-II!
-- By T.I. Meyer, Head of Strategic Planning & Communications