NETL’s Christina Wildfire, Ph.D., and Don Ferguson, Ph.D., researchers who are driving technological breakthroughs to advance the nation’s decarbonization efforts, have been selected to serve as Fellows in the 2024 Cohort of the Oppenheimer Science and Energy Leadership Program (OSELP).

Named after J. Robert Oppenheimer, head of the Los Alamos National Laboratory during World War II, OSELP was established in 2016 to introduce the next generation of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) leaders to the breadth and depth of the National Laboratory system and equip them with the knowledge, experiences and professional networks to succeed.

“Selection as an Oppenheimer Fellow is a highly competitive process,” said Sean Plasynski, NETL acting director. “These two exceptional NETL employees will bring home best practices to share with their NETL colleagues while developing their skills to serve as leaders of the DOE-National Labs system.”

OSELP is the premier leadership development initiative of the National Laboratory Directors’ Council. As Fellows in the 2024 Cohort, Wildfire, Ferguson and 29 other individuals representing all 17 of the DOE National Labs will engage with senior officials of the National Labs, DOE and other stakeholders to achieve a systems-level understanding of the National Labs and their unique capabilities.

Through a series of site visits to National Labs, OSELP immerses its Fellows in the diversity and complexity of the National Labs, DOE and their partners. Fellows are given the unique opportunity to engage deeply with senior Lab leadership and explore innovative ways to improve the DOE and National Lab collective enterprise.

In a letter to the OSELP Selection Committee, Plasynski noted that Wildfire serves as technical lead for the Center of Microwave Chemistry within NETL’s Research & Innovation Center.

“Much of her work involves the use of microwaves to trigger chemical reactions that convert carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into useful chemicals,” Plasynski stated. He also noted that Wildfire has led projects spanning energy storage, hydrogen generation from waste and rare earth mineral recovery.

Furthermore, Wildfire has been a strong advocate for diversity at NETL and recognizes the importance of building an inclusive workplace in which researchers and staff from different backgrounds can use their unique problem-solving skills and perspectives to introduce new ideas and concepts to address complex challenges. As an Oppenheimer Fellow, Wildfire will share steps to foster diversity and gain insights to expand inclusivity at NETL.

Ferguson is a research engineer on the NETL Thermal Sciences Team. In his recommendation statement, Plasynski noted that Ferguson is a leading authority on gas and liquid fuel combustion, fluid dynamics and thermal sciences for advanced processes and energy applications, and a recognized expert in the fields of pressure gain combustion and thermoacoustic instabilities in gas turbines.

In addition to his research, Ferguson serves as the DOE representative to the Department of Defense (DOD) Science and Technology Development Steering Committee for Advanced Turbine Technologies for Affordable Mission program and the National Rotating Detonation Engine Research Council.

He is also the current chair to the Propulsion and Power System Alliance, which is composed of researchers and program leads from NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration, DOD and DOE, and is the vice-chair for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Pressure Gain Combustion Technical Committee. 

Serving in OSELP will enable Ferguson to gain a deeper understanding of the National Laboratory complex, which he hopes to leverage to develop partnerships in an effort to curb carbon emissions.

The selections of Wildfire and Ferguson mark the second consecutive year that two NETL researchers were named OSELP Fellows. NETL’s Alexandra “Ale” Hakala, Ph.D., and Joseph Stoffa, Ph.D., served as OSELP Fellows in 2023.

NETL is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory that drives innovation and delivers technological solutions for an environmentally sustainable and prosperous energy future. By using its world-class talent and research facilities, NETL is ensuring affordable, abundant and reliable energy that drives a robust economy and national security, while developing technologies to manage carbon across the full life cycle, enabling environmental sustainability for all Americans.