NW federal lab that employs 6,000+ Tri-Citians announces new director
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory didn’t need to go too far to snag its next director.
The national lab that oversees $1.6 billion in research and employs more than 6,000 in the Tri-Cities announced Thursday that Deborah Gracio was chosen following a competitive nationwide search.
The 35-year PNNL veteran is an associate lab director who oversees PNNL’s diverse national security research portfolio. She takes over Oct. 1.
“I am honored to lead PNNL as we build on 60 years of scientific achievement,” she said in a statement.
“Our mission has never been more urgent or more inspiring. I’m committed to fostering the collaboration, innovation and clarity needed to help our teams deliver meaningful impact for the Department of Energy and the nation as we look to the future.”
She succeeds Steven Ashby, who was named director in 2015 and announced earlier this year his plans to step down. He’ll take on a new role at Battelle as senior vice president of strategic partnerships to help manage its wider portfolio of laboratories.
One of Ashby’s top priorities had been strengthening PNNL’s capabilities in chemistry, earth sciences, biology and data science, which have underpinned key scientific contributions.
Battelle, a nonprofit based in Columbus, Ohio, operates eight national laboratories, including PNNL, for the U.S. Department of Energy. The Richland lab is the Tri-Cities’ largest single employer.
The lab has played a key role in advancing research around artificial intelligence, building on its past work in data science, and its work to help usher in a quantum computing revolution.
Gracio has been recognized for pioneering research around computational capabilities. She’s created instrumentation, models and software that, among other achievements, shaped the development of DOE programs focused on using computation for scientific discovery.
“Her leadership in forming new methodologies, algorithms and technologies to address scientific challenges with big data has advanced the use of data sciences across multiple scientific and technical domains,” the announcement reads.
Lou Von Thaer, president and CEO of Battelle, called Gracio a “visionary leader with deep scientific roots.”
“Her insight, experience and dedication to advancing science in service to the nation make her the ideal leader for PNNL’s future,” Von Thaer said in a statement.
Gracio earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Washington State University.
She is a fellow of the Washington State Academy of Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
This story was originally published September 4, 2025 at 3:40 PM.
