In October, Lieselotte Obst-Huebl, a research scientist at the Berkeley Lab Laser Accelerator (BELLA) Center in the Accelerator Technology & Applied Physics Division at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, was named coordinator for outreach and user engagement at BeamNetUS. BeamNetUS is a network of facilities dedicated to advancing particle accelerator research and technology by providing access to beam test facilities within the DOE’s national laboratories. It enables users to conduct exploratory tests and build new collaborations.

“I feel fortunate for the opportunity to contribute to the accelerator community in this way,” says Obst-Huebl. “This is a unique chance to connect with accelerator labs across the DOE complex and engage new user communities.”

The role, initially designated for two years, will support the efficient operation of the network, with responsibilities including user communication, outreach, and record-keeping. Obst-Huebl will manage communication with users and facilities, oversee the issuance and management of the annual call for proposals, develop technical content, and guide the BeamNetUS website, social media, and other online platforms. As outreach and user engagement coordinator, she will support efforts to enhance the scientific productivity of user experiments, help build new capabilities, and streamline the network’s operations.

The position, says Obst-Huebl, allows her “to learn about the various types of accelerators in our network and the research they enable.” This, she adds, will benefit her research on laser plasma accelerator science and applications by “offering new opportunities for collaboration” and will also benefit Berkeley Lab by “learning about the needs of users, and determining in which direction laser plasma accelerator parameters need to be driven to appeal to these users.”

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