Director of NW federal lab in Tri-Cities that employs 6,400 is stepping down

After leading Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland for a decade, Steven Ashby plans to step aside, PNNL announced Monday.

Ashby was named director of the Department of Energy lab in 2015 and oversees the lab’s $1.6 billion research budget and about 6,400 employees. Battelle, which holds the DOE contract to manage and operate PNNL, is the Tri-Cities largest single employer.

“Ashby’s leadership of PNNL over the last decade has delivered unprecedented growth in the Laboratory’s research portfolio and staff, new strategic partnerships, a modern campus with new facilities, and increased recognition as a leading scientific institution,” PNNL said in its announcement.

Ashby, 65, will continue to serve as director until a successor is named.

Battelle plans a national search for his replacement in a process that is expected to take four to eight months.

Ashby will take on a new role for Battelle, a nonprofit, as senior vice president of strategic partnerships to help manage its portfolio of eight Battelle-affiliated laboratories.

Ashby’s decision

“When I began my career with DOE as a graduate student, I never imagined that I would have the honor of leading one of its great national laboratories. It has been the highlight of my career,” Ashby said in a statement.

He had been thinking of retiring as he approached the age of 65 and decided it was time, he said.

But then Battelle asked him to stay on for a year or so to help manage its lab portfolio. He agreed, but plans to continue to work for Battelle from the Tri-Cities rather than moving to its national office in Columbus, Ohio.

It’s important for the PNNL leadership to have a strong relationship with senior DOE leadership, and leaving PNNL now will give the new lab director the opportunity to form those relationships over the next several years, Ashby said.

He also pointed out that 10 years is a long tenure in a leadership role. In fact, by the time he leaves the lab in several months he will be the longest-serving director in PNNL’s 60-year history.

He’s also Battelle’s longest-tenured laboratory director, said Battelle President Lou Von Thaer said in a statement.

‘Remarkable legacy’

Ashby built a remarkable legacy of scientific discovery that has contributed to the advancement of our nation’s health, safety and prosperity, Von Thaer said..

The Tri-City Development Council called Ashby’s leadership at PNNL “transformational,” saying it “has not only advanced the frontiers of science and innovation, but also served as a powerful catalyst for community and economic development.”

“Under Steve’s guidance, PNNL became an even more valuable partner to our communities — committed, collaborative and visionary,” TRIDEC said in a statement.

His ability to bring people together around ideas that drive change was instrumental in launching the Energy Forward Alliance at TRIDEC in 2023. The alliance is focused on the Tri-Cities role leading the region’s clean energy future.

“Steve’s leadership reflects the very best of Battelle’s commitment to investing in communities, fostering innovation and building a stronger, more resilient future,” TRIDEC said.

Ashby told the Tri-City Herald he’s proud of the enhanced reputation PNNL has developed as a research institution, he said.

One of Ashby’s top priorities had been further strengthening PNNL’s capabilities in chemistry, Earth Sciences, biology and data science, which have underpinned key scientific contributions.

New areas of research include the role the lab is playing in advancing artificial intelligence, building on its past work in data science, and its work to help usher in a quantum computing revolution, he said.

Ashby also led $1 billion in work over the last decade to modernize aging infrastructure and build and develop world-class research facilities, including the Energy Sciences Center and Grid Storage Launchpad on PNNL’s Richland campus.

Ashby expanded collaborations with other research institutions, including partnering to form six joint institutes with five leading universities, incudling Washington State University, University of Washington and Oregon Health and Science University. He believes that the biggest challenges cannot be solved alone, according to PNNL.

Some of his fondest memories over the last decade revolve around the people of the lab, including annual service awards, some to workers who have given 50 years of service to the national lab, he said.

Visits of U.S. energy secretaries also have been highlights, providing a chance to show off the lab and its people, he said.

Ally for Tri-Cities

He’s grateful for the Tri-Cities community support for PNNL, something that not all national laboratories enjoy to the same degree, he said.

PNNL has continued to be a strong ally to the community under Ashby’s leadership, including through donations, volunteerism and promoting STEM education.

“As Battelle’s longest-tenured laboratory director, Steve has built a remarkable legacy of scientific discovery that has contributed to the advancement of our nation’s health, safety and prosperity,” Von Thaer said in a statement.

Ashby is the 12th lab director in PNNL’s 60-year history.

Ashby has held positions at DOE national laboratories for 41 years, including serving as deputy director of PNNL for seven years before being selected as director.

Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., congratulated Ashby on his tenure with PNNL in a statement Monday evening..

“His leadership over the years has driven scientific excellence and innovation at PNNL, advancing the lab as a world leader in science, national security, and energy research and development,” Newhouse said. “It has been an honor working closely with him to advance PNNL’s mission and deliver critical resources that have directly impacted Central Washington, the United States and the world.”

Under Ashby’s leadership, PNNL consistently was rated in annual evaluations over the past decade by DOE as a top-performing national laboratory.

“On behalf of the Pacific Northwest Site Office, we extend our gratitude to Dr. Steve Ashby for his decade of exemplary leadership, contributions to the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, guiding the Lab through complex challenges and strengthening its role as a critical national asset,” said Ashley Morris, the deputy site office manager for the DOE office in Richland that oversees PNNL.

This story was originally published April 14, 2025 at 1:13 PM.