Sherry L. Cady, an expert on microbes living in extreme environments, has been named the chief science officer for the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory.

She will guide the science vision for EMSL on the campus of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland. EMSL is the Department of Energy's premier molecular sciences laboratory and provides one-of-a-kind equipment and support for about 700 researchers each year from across the nation who compete to use EMSL resources.

Cady will guide the use of current instruments and the development of new ones, as well as the science themes around which EMSL proposals are selected.

Cady comes to EMSL from Portland State University in Oregon, where she served as professor of geology since 1998. She also developed several professional development courses for teachers at the university's Center for Science Education. She is the founding and current editor-in-chief of the research journal Astrobiology.