Appointment – Lightsources.org

The ESRF Council appoints next Director General

2023/11/302023/11/30

The ESRF Council has appointed Jean Daillant as the next Director General of the ESRF, the European Synchrotron.

A soft matter physicist, Jean Daillant has been Director General of the SOLEIL synchrotron since 2011. Under his guidance, SOLEIL has become a leading facility among the medium-energy synchrotron radiation sources. He is the current Chair of LEAPS, the League of European Accelerator-based Photon Sources, which aims to promote scientific excellence and strengthen the cooperation between synchrotron and X-ray free electron laser facilities to support an innovative and sustainable European Research Area. He also holds the role of Spokesperson of the Analytical Research Infrastructures in Europe (ARIE).

Jean Daillant will take over on 1 September 2024 from Francesco Sette, who, during a close to sixteen-year mandate, has overseen the implementation of the entire Upgrade Programme of the ESRF to become the world’s first and leading fourth-generation high-energy synchrotron radiation source.

“The Council extends a heartfelt welcome to Jean in his new role as Director General, and is looking forward to collaborating with him to steer the ESRF towards a bright future amidst challenging circumstances,” states Prof. Helmut Dosch, Chair of the ESRF Council.

Francesco Sette says: “I congratulate Jean on his appointment and welcome him on board on behalf of all of us at the ESRF. I wish him a lot of success in leading the ESRF in the years to come, keeping the facility at the forefront of X-ray science.”

Jean Daillant says: “I feel deeply honoured to be joining the ESRF to serve as Director General. Succeeding Francesco, who has so successfully lead the facility for many years, is a challenge I am taking on with humility. EBS provides extraordinary opportunities for scientific creativity that I will be most excited to develop further, together with the ESRF staff and the wider scientific community.”

Read more on ESRF website

SESAME announces the arrival of its new Administrative Director

2021/02/072021/02/09

On 1 February, Atef Abdelhamed Elkadime took up the position of Administrative Director of SESAME and despite COVID-19 he has already joined the Organization in Jordan.

Dr Elkadime has a PhD in Radiation Chemistry from Monoufia University (Egypt). For the last eight years he was Chairman of the Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority (EAEA).

He has extensive experience in the administration of large research facilities, as well as in research and teaching. In his position as Chairman of the EAEA, he managed an organization that has 4,000 employees and a very large annual budget. Having also held various other high-level positions at the EAEA he acquired managerial skills in all sections of this large facility.

As an AFRA (African Regional Agreement for Research, Development and Training related to Nuclear Science and Technology) National Coordinator, and Egypt’s National Liaison Officer (NLO) to the IAEA and representative at the Arab Atomic Energy Agency, as well as through a two-year position in Saudi Arabia and several fellowships and visits to scientifically-advanced countries (Austria, Denmark, France, Russia, the UK, the USA…..), Dr Elkadime has developed very extensive, well-established relations with intergovernmental organizations, the Gulf countries and countries of the North.

Rob Norris joins Canadian Light Source

2019/02/072019/02/07

Former provincial cabinet minister Rob Norris is joining the Canadian Light Source at the University of Saskatchewan, as Senior Government Relations Officer.

“Rob brings a unique depth of experience in our parliamentary system, as well as key policy areas, including innovation, post-secondary education, and industry-related research. I have no doubt he will be of enormous help in strengthening our relationships with government stakeholders at every level, and increasing awareness about the valuable contributions our scientists are making,” said Rob Lamb, CLS Chief Executive Officer.

Image: CLS CEO Rob Lamb, Environmental & Earth Science Manager Chithra Karunakaran and Senior Government Relations Officer Rob Norris talk on the CLS mezzanine.