ORNL Placeholder Image

DeLeah V. Lockridge

Group Leader, Nuclear Operations and Licensing /Senior R&D Staff - Innovative Nuclear Reactor Development Engineer

DeLeah Lockridge began her career in March 1999 with Westinghouse Electric Company, and she held various engineering and project management positions during her time in Pittsburgh, PA.  In April 2011, DeLeah accepted a site-based assignment as Site Project Engineer at the Vogtle Units 3&4 Nuclear Construction Project in Waynesboro, GA.  She transitioned to other challenging roles as construction of the advanced nuclear power plants progressed.  In December 2018, DeLeah joined BCP Engineers & Consultants as a Subcontracts Program Manager for Southern Nuclear – continuing to support completion of Vogtle Units 3&4.

In August 2021, DeLeah joined UT-Battelle as a Senior R&D Staff member at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Knoxville, TN.  In January 2023, she became the Nuclear Operations & Licensing Group Leader (in the Fusion and Fission Energy and Sciences Directorate), in addition to her staff responsibilities. DeLeah will use her years of practical experience, leadership acumen and collaborative skills to make a global impact in the nuclear industry.

DeLeah Lockridge received her Bachelor of Science degree in Nuclear Engineering, Certification in Systems Safety Engineering, and a Minor in Spanish from Texas A&M University in 1998. She received her Master of Engineering degree in Nuclear Engineering from Penn State University in 2008.  In May 2022, DeLeah completed her Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree (with honors) from the University of South Carolina – Aiken.  DeLeah is a professionally licensed Nuclear Engineer in Pennsylvania and Georgia, and a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). In 2023, she was appointed as a subject matter expert to the Management Advisory Committee of the ITER international fusion project.

DeLeah currently lives in Knoxville, TN.  When she is not working, her interests include travel, music, long-distance running, paddle boarding, and industrial/commercial acting.