Bob Runkle Director, Center for Robotics and Autonomy Bob Runkle is a physicist leading PNNL’s Center for Robotics and Autonomy. Having spent over 20 years in national security, he has a passion for reaching across fundamental science into applications. Former roles include serving as a division director of Physical Detection Systems, serving as chief science and technology officer for the National Security Directorate, and working in the Program Development Office as an account manager for Nuclear Security Science and Technology. Runkle's scientific contributions to national security include the development of algorithms for radiation detectors used for law enforcement and international border security.

Malachi Schram Chief Scientist for Autonomy Malachi Schram joined PNNL as a chief scientist in 2026. In this role, he contributes to PNNL efforts in autonomous systems, AI‑ready data frameworks, and related research activities supported across DOE programs. Schram has participated in DOE advisory groups, scientific organizing committees, and proposal review panels, and has contributed to research projects in accelerator controls, uncertainty‑aware machine learning, generative modeling, flood prediction, anomaly detection, nuclear physics, and scientific workflows.

Draguna Vrabie Director, Advanced Computing, Mathematics, and Data Division Draguna Vrabie serves as interim director of the Advanced Computing, Mathematics, and Data Division. In this role, she leads the division’s strategic planning, capability development, and operational execution. Her leadership ensures alignment with institutional goals, fosters scientific and technical innovation, and strengthens internal and external partnerships across national security, energy, and scientific mission areas. Since 2023, she has led the Autonomous Science strategy for the Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate, aligning foundational research in AI, control, and automation with application to scientific discovery.

Robert Rallo Sector Lead for Advanced Scientific Computing Research Robert Rallo is the interim director of the Program Development Office in the Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate at PNNL. He also serves as the sector lead for the DOE Advanced Scientific Computing Research Program. Rallo has a joint appointment with the Ralph O'Connor Sustainable Energy Institute at Johns Hopkins University. His research interests focus on the development and application of AI to support scientific discovery.

Russ Burtner Robot Operations Lead Russ Burtner is an Experience Advisor in Research Computing at PNNL, with over 30 years of expertise in human-computer interaction, user research, software design, and vision exploration. His work focuses on collaborative analytic user experiences, natural user interfaces, immersive computing, and human-in-the-loop analysis of large, complex, multi-modal data. His current interests lie in advancing human-centered design as a laboratory capability, operationalizing generative AI, developing innovation practices, and contributing to strategy, vision development, and project leadership across diverse domains.