PNNL

Wendy Shaw is the Associate Lab Director (ALD) for the Physical and Computational Science Directorate (PCSD) at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. She is a people-focused leader with demonstrated success in developing compelling strategies, establishing multi-institution collaborations, and building strong teams. As ALD, she shapes the directorate’s vision, fosters the success of scientific and technical objectives, and cultivates relationships with key stakeholders, including federal sponsors, business and industry partners, and elected officials. 

In her previous role as the Chief Science and Technology Officer (CSTO) for PCSD, Dr. Shaw guided the organization’s scientific and technical strategy, as well as the alignment of enabling capability investments. Leveraging the expertise of the entire directorate, she developed strategies for autonomous science and quantum computing. She also led PNNL’s carbon catalysis Lab Objective aimed at synthesizing catalysts for renewable carbon and hydrogen. Prior to the CSTO role, Dr. Shaw served as Division Director for Physical Sciences, developing scientific capabilities, fostering a welcoming culture of team science, and managing the safe operations of the division. Earlier in her career, she served as Associate Division Director for Catalysis Science, where she focused on staff career development and an enhanced safety culture. 

Dr. Shaw joined PNNL in 2000 and in 2010 was among the first recipients of the prestigious Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science Early Career Award. She is an elected fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Washington State Academy of Sciences. She also is a Kavli Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Shaw is a graduate of PNNL management development programs and the Oppenheimer Science and Engineering Leadership Program and is past chair of the Oppenheimer Leadership Network. She is currently participating in Battelle’s Laboratory Operations Leadership Academy.

Her research focuses are on learning from and mimicking nature at the intersection of chemistry and materials. Her projects are in two broad areas: developing a fundamental understanding of the role of proteins in biomineralization processes and designing catalysts for renewable energy that mimic features of enzymes. Dr. Shaw has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers and has an h-index of 41. She serves on review panels for DOE and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). She also serves on the editorial board of Biophysical Journal and has been an invited panelist for DOE, NIH, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. She received a BS in chemistry from Whitman College and a PhD in chemistry from the University of Washington.