Jeroen van Tilborg, a senior scientist and deputy director for experiments in the Accelerator Technology & Applied Physics (ATAP) Division’s BELLA Center at Berkeley Lab, has been awarded the Outstanding Mentor Award for 2023. The honor, bestowed by the Lab’s Workforce Development & Education (WD&E) Office, recognizes those going above and beyond to teach technical and professional skills to the Lab’s interns.
“I have been working with SULI [Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship] and CCI [Community College Internship] program students for many years, and to be honest, the logistics and time commitment can sometimes be stressful, but it’s worth it 100%,” he says, adding that the award is “a little bonus recognition that reminds me that the Lab recognizes the extra time I have put into these programs.”
(l-r) Jeroen van Tilborg and SULI interns Francisco Wulftange and Hai-En Tsai adjust the optics on one of the BELLA Center’s lasers. Thor Swift/Berkeley Lab)
In recent years, van Tilborg has mentored several students, often on smaller-scale laser projects that serve as general R&D for the BELLA Center high-power lasers. These include working with SULI student Hailang Pan on techniques for shaping the transverse profile of femtosecond lasers and with CCI student Johnny Chinchilla Pinto on investigating cross-correlations between multiple diagnostics and incorporating active stabilization techniques.
van Tilborg says, “Mentoring students is often a responsibility best shared with a co-supervisor,” adding that this approach “allows for some more flexibility in case of work travel, illness, conference preparation, and proposal writing. This formula has worked well in our group, and I think it can remove hesitation to take on new students.”
He noted that many interns return to ATAP for a second internship, with some going on to pursue a Ph.D. program deployed in the division. “This means we have access to the next generation of talented early-career scientists, and the investment of several months of mentoring ends up paying off with multi-year collaborations. This is critical to the success of our group.”
“Furthermore,” he continues, “having a student in the group to train, interact with, and bounce ideas off can motivate the mentor. So, the SULI and CCI students have a net-positive impact on the projects and people.”
“Congratulations to Jeroen for being recognized for his talent and enthusiasm in mentoring young scientists as part of his leading-edge research,” said ATAP Director Cameron Geddes. “His efforts in enabling future contributions to science from people who might not otherwise have that opportunity are much appreciated.”
Along with fellow recipients Tevye Kuykendall and Corie Ralston, he was honored at the WD&E Intern Poster Session & Outstanding Mentor Awards event on December 3, 2024, at the Lab’s main site.
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