1. Challenges and
solutions of
research operations
at ORNL
Presented to
ACS Division of Chemical
Health and Safety
Joseph Pickel, Ph.D
March 27, 2012

2. The Challenge
• Start a sustainable discussion on research operations using
only a bad title as a starting point.
• Deliver at least some useful information that others can take
home and translate to their own programs
– Not everyone works in a national lab, foreign country or high
energy materials business
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3. Why talk about Research Operations?
• A Director of Research Operations and Research Operations
Initiatives/Research Support Staffer got to talking…
– What does Research Operations mean to you?
– What is your philosophy to research operations (where do
researchers‟ responsibilities end and support responsibilities start?)
• Questions from students (IH, HP, Chem, etc)
– What is it that you do?
– How did you come to be in this field? What is the training?
• What resources and organizations are out there that support
research operations and those in this field?
What Lessons can we learn from each other?
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4. Resources are subject selective
Support extends beyond chemistry
- (Chemistry increasingly interdiscplinary!)
CokeZero: “great taste and zero calories”™; Nissan: “Shift ______”™
• Division of Chemical Health and Safety and Research Operations
• Division of Chemical Health and Safety and Waste Management
• Division of Chemical Health and Safety and Human Performance
• Division of Chemical Health and Safety and Risk Management
• Division of Chemical Health and Safety and Compliance
• Division of Chemical Health and Safety and Emergency Preparedness
• Division of Chemical Health and Safety and Facility Management
• Division of Chemical Health and Safety and Training
• Division of Chemical Health and Safety and …
Is this the right forum?
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5. How to Prepare those who support
Research
• Staffing generally feeds from
– Industrial Hygiene / Public Health
– Health Physics
– Research Converts
• Sustained by OJT/Development
• Significant part of job based on specific
– Mission
– Location
– Operational Philosophy
Is there a better way?
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6. Approaches to Research and Operations
will depend on Organization
Goals/Mission
Institution Academia Government Industry
Purpose Education Discovery Production
Breadth Diverse “Themed” Focused
Hazards (#) Broad Broad Limited
(scale) Small Small Large
Regulatory Mild Rigid Very Rigid
Personnel Resident, Perm., Visiting, Perm.,
Trainees Trainees, Professional
Professional
What happens when these groups mix?
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7. Oak Ridge National Laboratory:
Science and technology for the 21st century
$1.1B budget World’s most powerful Nation’s most diverse
4,200 employees open scientific energy portfolio
computing facility Bringing the $1.4B
3,000 research
guests annually Nation’s largest Spallation Neutron
concentration Source into operation
$300 million invested of open source materials
in modernization Managing the billion-
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8. Challenge to Research Operations
- Support diverse research programs that extend beyond
organizational, physical and operational boundaries
- Strengths and Opportunities can easily become Threats and
Weaknesses:
- Collaborative research programs that can work with anyone,
anywhere, anytime
- Flexible and nimble research programs that „turn on a dime‟
- Problem solving mentality thinking out of the box
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9. Research Operations
• Delivering science is in the mission statement
• All operations directly support research
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10. Solutions to Research Operations
Challenges
• Define the operations philosophy
– Purpose,
– Level of service,
– Distribution of responsibilities
• Develop a team and roles based on the problem
– Operational support organizations become as flexible and
collaborative as the research programs they support
• Chart a plan to address individual focus areas
– Get it Done is LTA!
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11. Research Operations
Purpose and Philosophy
• Manage and support the research infrastructure
• Science is a our business‟ “Product”
– Delivered as Patents, Publications, Tech Transfer and User Hours.
• Research is Expensive:
– Research Operations/Support should do what is necessary to allow
researchers to be in the lab; focus on their science
In order to do a good job support science… Support personnel
must make an effort to understand what they are supporting
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12. Defining Responsibilities
*Responsibilities for safety, performance, fiscal and ethical
behavior belong to individuals… Support facilitates
performance
Science Operations
- Develop idea, proposal ($) - Develop safety envelope
- Assemble team and tools - Monitor and maintain working
conditions
- Conduct research
- Facilitate assurance activities
- Communicate results
- Solve problems, resolve issues
- Knowledge of current
Requirements/Drivers
- Formal Responsibility
- Day to Day Activities
Awareness of scientific mission allows research to progress efficiently!
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13. Defining Responsibilities
*Responsibilities for safety, performance, fiscal and ethical
behavior belong to individuals… Support facilitates
performance
Research Support
Independent of Performed with Performed with Independent of
Support limited Support limited research Research
involvement involvement
Project Materials Waste Conduct
Management Procurement Disposition Exposure
Assessments
Ability to separate roles depends on resources/cost models, efficiency,
other drivers
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14. Develop the Team
See Kim’s talk!
- Provide Expertise at all levels
- Consider your depth chart!
Organization Support Local Support
(Subject Matter Experts) (“Jack of all trades”)
- Serve broad populations - Serve individual facilities and
groups
- Define/Implement Org Policy
- Tune/ Apply Policies at lab level
- Awareness of changing
developments, regulations and - Awareness of Research
best practices on subject (looks Programs (looking inward)
outward)
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15. Get it Done- in an organized,
thoughtful manner
Keep research going Improving operations
(Treading water) (Soaring to new heights)
• Procuring, accepting and Implementing RFID technology
controlling new inventory for advance controls
• Maintaining compliance with Apply techniques to improve
regulatory (Fire Protection) and compliance while avoiding impact
security (nuclear materials, drug on research
precursors) directives
Development of cost efficient and
• Timely and compliant removal of uniform waste paths
waste
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