Chris Deeney joined the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory as chief science and technology officer for the national security mission area. His responsibilities include providing senior leadership in strategy development for the national security research portfolio and programs.

A respected researcher and innovator, Deeney has been at the forefront of integrating scientific and engineering capabilities to address some of the nation's most serious security threats.

"Deeney's unique skills and experience make him the right person to lead PNNL's national security strategy," said Tony Peurrung, associate laboratory director for national security.

For the past five years, Deeney worked for National Security Technologies or NSTec as the vice president for program integration and chief technology officer before moving to special assignment for NSTec's parent organization. His responsibilities included three directorates — stockpile stewardship, global security, and environmental management — and he executed his programs throughout five DOE nuclear facilities and multiple high-level, hazardous waste facilities.

Previously, Deeney was the assistant deputy administrator for stockpile stewardship for the National Nuclear Security Administration. He managed the $1.7 billion nuclear stockpile stewardship program of three national laboratories and the Nevada National Security Site. He was also a senior manager responsible for numerous experiments related to nuclear weapons physics and pulse power technologies at Sandia National Laboratories.

Deeney is a fellow of the American Physical Society and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering. He earned his doctorate in plasma physics from the Imperial College, United Kingdom.