Joseph “Mike” Edelen will join the Photon Sciences (PSC) Directorate as director of the APS Engineering Support (AES) Division at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory as of February 7, 2022.
As one of the key members of the PSC senior management team, Mike brings to the AES Division a highly diverse engineering, project management, and leadership skill set, and a record of success that will continue the AES well-earned reputation for engineering excellence. His leadership will help maintain the world-leading stature of the APS accelerator complex and beamlines while ensuring that the APS Upgrade Project succeeds in transforming the APS into a premier next-generation x-ray light source.
After graduating from the University of Memphis with a Bachelor of Science degree, Mike earned a Master of Engineering Management degree from Old Dominion University. He is a certified Naval Nuclear Propulsion Plant Engineer and a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt from the Council for Six Sigma Certification. He is also a graduate of the Argonne Strategic Laboratory Leadership Program at the University of Chicago Booth Graduate School of Business.
Mike’s 21-year career in the U.S. Navy began as a nuclear-trained electrician’s mate on submarines. In 2001, he was selected for the Enlisted Commissioning Program, studying electrical engineering technology at The University of Memphis. Following graduation, Mike was commissioned in the Navy as an ensign and completed the theoretical and hands-on training and qualifications necessary to supervise the operation of a submarine nuclear power plant.
As an officer on the nuclear submarine USS Montpelier, Mike’s responsibilities included reactor and steam plant chemistry, radiological controls, and quality assurance. As engineer officer on the USS Florida, Mike supervised a large and technically diverse group working on nuclear engineering and support systems, ranging from electrical and mechanical to information technology. He finished his Navy career as the Submarine Squadron 15 engineer officer, responsible for maintenance, operations, and training while supervising over 100 personnel on four submarines and two submarine tenders. During his submarine career he managed intensive 3-weeks-long maintenance programs that will serve him well in overseeing APS maintenance periods.
Following his Navy career, Mike started at Argonne in 2017 as the Electrical Safety Program manager. He led the Environment, Safety and Health (ESH) Division training team and served as the deputy division director for ESH. He currently is the Deputy Senior Director for Environment, Safety, Health and Quality, and division director for ESH at Argonne.
Mike’s numerous awards and recognitions include Navy Junior Officer of the Year (two years in a row), Sailor of the Year, Chief of Naval Operations Award for Environmental Quality, and the Navy Meritorious Service Medal. Mike’s overhaul of the electrical safety program at Argonne earned the UChicago Argonne Board of Governors Outstanding Safety Leadership Award.
Mike, his wife Jennifer, and their two daughters, MacKenzie and Cameron, reside in Naperville.
The Advanced Photon Source is a DOE Office of Science User Facility operated for the DOE Office of Science by Argonne National Laboratory under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357
The U.S. Department of Energy's APS at Argonne National Laboratory is one of the world’s most productive x-ray light source facilities. Each year, the APS provides high-brightness x-ray beams to a diverse community of more than 5,000 researchers in materials science, chemistry, condensed matter physics, the life and environmental sciences, and applied research. Researchers using the APS produce over 2,000 publications each year detailing impactful discoveries, and solve more vital biological protein structures than users of any other x-ray light source research facility. APS x-rays are ideally suited for explorations of materials and biological structures; elemental distribution; chemical, magnetic, electronic states; and a wide range of technologically important engineering systems from batteries to fuel injector sprays, all of which are the foundations of our nation’s economic, technological, and physical well-being.
Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology. The nation's first national laboratory, Argonne conducts leading-edge basic and applied scientific research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne researchers work closely with researchers from hundreds of companies, universities, and federal, state and municipal agencies to help them solve their specific problems, advance America's scientific leadership and prepare the nation for a better future. With employees from more than 60 nations, Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC, for the U.S. DOE Office of Science.