Dr. Linda L. Horton

Associate Director of Science for Basic Energy Sciences

Dr. Linda L. Horton is the Associate Director of Science for Basic Energy Sciences (BES) in the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science (SC). With an annual budget of more than $2 billion, BES is the nation's leading supporter of fundamental research in materials sciences, chemistry, geosciences, and aspects of biosciences. BES is also a major supporter of scientific user facilities, including the nation's premier x-ray light sources, neutron scattering facilities, and nanoscale science research centers. These facilities serve over 16,000 users annually, and they provide the tools for the preparation and examination of materials and the study of their physical and chemical properties and transformations.

Previously, Dr. Horton was the Director for the Materials Sciences and Engineering (MSE) Division in BES. Since joining DOE in 2009, Dr. Horton has been extensively involved in interdepartmental coordination activities, including serving as the DOE-SC management lead for batteries and energy storage, the SC Early Career Research Program, and is the past co-chair for the OSTP-led Materials Genome Initiative. Her BES roles have included interim leadership of the management team for the newly established Energy Frontier Research Centers. She has served as the materials lead for international activities that included workshops with the European Union on energy storage and critical materials. As part of the BES communication strategy, she had lead responsibility for the “Science Serving the Nation” brochure. Since 2016, she led the BES teams responsible for 7 strategic “basic research needs” workshops/roundtables and the associated brochures and reports.

Prior to joining BES, Dr. Horton was the Director of the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, one of the five DOE national user facilities for nanoscale science research. Her personal research emphasized applications of electron microscopy to materials science problems including investigations of the effects of ion implantation and neutron irradiation and studies of the growth and characterization of diamond thin films. She is a Fellow of ASM International and has served on several national and international advisory committees. In professional service, she has been an officer of the Materials Research Society and of the Microscopy Society of America, Trustee of ASM International, and Vice-Chairman of the DOE Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee. Her Ph.D. in Materials Science is from the University of Virginia.

Contact Information
Dr. Linda Horton
Associate Director of Science for Basic Energy Sciences
SC-32 Germantown Building
U.S. Department of Energy
1000 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20585-1290
Phone: 301-903-3081
[email protected]