Newswise — WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science is proud to announce the first-ever recipients of the DOE Distinguished Mentor Award for Workforce Development. This newly established award program acknowledges excellent mentorship, promotes finest mentoring practices, and helps maintain a vibrant mentor pool for workforce growth at DOE National Laboratories to advance the DOE mission and strengthen the U.S. workforce of tomorrow.
“The establishment of the DOE Distinguished Mentor Award for Workforce Development directly aligns with our strategic objectives to not only recognize exceptional mentorship but also to actively cultivate best practices across our National Laboratories,” stated DOE Under Secretary for Science Darío Gil. “By illuminating these exemplary efforts, we reinforce a vibrant mentoring ecosystem crucial for advancing the DOE’s mission and strengthening the U.S. workforce. We look forward to celebrating our inaugural awardees and hearing their insights and experiences.”
The inaugural 2025 awardees are:
Science and Technology Mentor Category
| Awardee | Title/Division | Organization |
|---|---|---|
| Broussard, Leah Jacklyn | Research Scientist, Physics Division | Oak Ridge National Laboratory |
| Jensen, Michael | Group Leader, Environmental Science and Technologies Department | Brookhaven National Laboratory |
| Miller, Quin | Research Scientist, Energy & Critical Materials | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory |
Technical Mentor Category
| Awardee | Title/Division | Organization |
|---|---|---|
| McKenzie, Penny | Cyber Security Engineer, National Security Directorate | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory |
Established in 2025 by the Office of Science’s Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists (WDTS), this annual honor acknowledges the important function scientific and technical mentors play in cultivating the subsequent era of the science, know-how, engineering, and arithmetic (STEM) workforce. Each recipient will obtain a $10,000 award for use for analysis and mentoring-related growth.
For over 60 years, DOE has supplied coaching alternatives for future scientists, engineers, and technical professionals to help DOE’s mission to advance power, financial, and nationwide safety of the United States.
DOE’s 17 National Laboratories present a novel alternative for STEM workforce growth, providing entry to world-leading experience, scientific User Facilities and instrumentation, and multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary analysis groups and applications typically not accessible in universities or trade. This award formally acknowledges devoted professionals for excellent contributions to workforce growth throughout the 17 National Laboratories. Selected by a rigorous benefit overview course of, this 12 months’s awardees exemplify excellence in guiding future scientists, engineers, and technical professionals by the distinctive, multidisciplinary analysis environments solely discovered throughout the DOE National Laboratory advanced.
A digital DOE Award Ceremony is deliberate within the close to future to have fun the excellent accomplishments of the awardees. The digital occasion will characteristic a panel of Distinguished Mentors and their mentees sharing experiences and ideas on mentoring and finest practices. For extra data, go to the Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists (WDTS) homepage.
