Dr. Jared Johnson is the Director of the Nonproliferation Program Office within the National Security Sciences Directorate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. His office is responsible for program development through the growth and sustainment of strong relationships with ORNs primary nonproliferation sponsors-including the National Nuclear Security Administration, Air Force Technical Applications Center, and
U.S. Department of State-and the formation of multidisciplinary teams from across ORNL and the U.S. Department of Energy complex to address technical nonproliferation mission requirements.
Jared previously served as Group Leader for the Material Securityand Stewardship Group within the Nuclear Nonproliferation Division, overseeing a team focused on missions related to special nuclear material processing and counterproliferation. In this role, he also managed the development of the Uranium Science & Technology Center, a lab-scale testbed for uranium headend chemical processing, and the surplus plutonium disposition support program. He also severed as the primary ORNL point of contact to NNSA Office of Material Management and Minimization (NA-23) and the Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Research and Development Office (NA-22) during this time.
Before joining the Nuclear Nonproliferation Division, Jared led ORNL’s Radiochemical Science and Engineering Group, which oversaw the development and execution of plutonium-238 chemical processing. During this time, he also managed several programs, including development and production of the Radiation Signature Training Devices and the multi-lab Multi-Informatics for Nuclear Operation Scenarios Venture to develop data fusion techniques to address proliferation detection challenges.
Jared began his ORNL career at the Radiochemical Engineering Development Center, where he spent over a decade performing research related to radiochemical processing for isotope production and reprocessing of used nuclear fuel. The expertise he gained through this research led to his engagement in the nuclear proliferation detection mission, including an assignment as a technical advisor to the NA-22 Proliferation Detection R&D Office from 2013-2015.
Jared holds a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Tennessee. His technical areas of expertise include materials characterization, radiochemistry, and off-gas abatement. He is an active member of the American Nuclear Society, for which he has served as the Fuel Cycle and Waste Management Division Chair and as a National Program Committee member.
