Dr. Mark Peters is the director of Idaho National Laboratory with responsibilities for management and integration of a large, multipurpose laboratory whose mission focuses on nuclear energy, national and homeland security, and energy and environmental science and technology. He manages this U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory of more than 4,000 scientists, engineers and support staff in multiple nuclear and nonnuclear experimental facilities, with an annual budget of over $900 million. Peters also serves as a senior adviser to the Department of Energy on nuclear energy technologies, research and development programs, and nuclear waste policy. As a recognized expert in nuclear fuel cycle technologies and nuclear waste management, he is called upon frequently to provide expert testimony to Congress and to advise in formulation of policies for nuclear fuel cycles, nonproliferation and nuclear waste disposal. Peters was honored in 2015 as a Fellow of the American Nuclear Society (ANS) for outstanding accomplishments in the area of nuclear science and technology.

Previously, Peters was the associate laboratory director for Energy and Global Security at Argonne National Laboratory. He was responsible for the management and integration of the laboratory’s energy and global security programs. As the associate laboratory director, he managed an organization of more than 800 staff with an annual budget of more than $250 million. Prior to that, in his position as deputy laboratory director for Programs at Argonne, he was responsible for the management and integration of the laboratory’s science and technology portfolio, strategic planning, Laboratory Directed Research and Development program, and technology development and commercialization. In an earlier role as a deputy associate laboratory director for Energy Sciences and Engineering, he was responsible for the development of new program opportunities at the laboratory, particularly in the area of energy storage, nuclear storage, nuclear energy, nuclear safety and waste management. He serves as an expert adviser to the DOE Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative (AFCI) and as the AFCI National Campaign director for Waste Forms and Used Fuel Disposition.

At Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in New Mexico, Peters served as the senior scientist to the director of the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM), and was the external spokesman for the OCRWM science and 16-GA50024R technology programs. Peters was widely recognized for his efforts in addressing and resolving sensitive policy and technical issues on used fuel disposition. He led many interactions with independent technical, oversight, and regulatory bodies, and was commended by the OCRWM director for his efforts. In a prior position, he managed LANL’s science and engineering testing program at the Yucca Mountain Project. Early in his career, Peters was a geochemistry research fellow at the California Institute of Technology, where he focused on trace-element geochemistry. He has authored more than 60 scientific publications, and is a recognized expert at national and international meetings. Peters held an adjunct faculty appointment in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Northwestern University, and was a senior fellow in the Northwestern Argonne Institute of Science and Engineering from 2013 to 2015. He serves on several advisory boards and councils that support innovation and economic development. These include the Harman Innovation Advisory Council, Energy Foundry Board of Directors, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Engineering Advisory Board, and the Scientific Advisory Committee for Notre Dame’s Energy Frontier Research Center.

Peters is an active member of professional organizations, including the Geological Society of America, where he served as a member of the Committee on Geology and Public Policy. He is a member of the American Geophysical Union, the Geochemical Society, the Mineralogical Society of America, and the American Nuclear Society. He serves on the ANS Public Policy Committee, and the Executive Committee of the ANS Fuel Cycle and Waste Management Division. His professional achievements have resulted in his election to Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society, as well as Sigma Gamma Epsilon, the Earth Sciences Honorary Society. Peters earned his doctorate in geophysical sciences from the University of Chicago and his bachelor’s in geology from Auburn University. He has undertaken extensive management and leadership education and training, including completion of the Strategic Laboratory Leadership Program at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.