"Kathy's expertise, leadership and background make her an excellent choice for this important position," said James Lake, associate laboratory director for Nuclear Energy. "This is an exciting time for the INEEL as we respond to the opportunities presented by our nuclear energy mission. McCarthy and her staff will play a key role in conducting research and development in nuclear systems analysis and design, fusion, reactor and radiation physics, thermal fluids, and nuclear fuels and materials."

Last year, McCarthy was elected to the American Nuclear Society's board of directors. She received the ANS Women's Achievement Award in 2000 for outstanding personal dedication and technical achievement by a woman for work she performed in the fields of nuclear science, nuclear engineering, research and education. Last year, she also served as chair of the Idaho section of ANS.

McCarthy came to the INEEL in 1991 with a doctorate in nuclear engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles. She has worked in the INEEL Fusion Safety Program focusing on examining the behavior of materials in the plasma facing components of proposed fusion reactors. She also led a number of important experimental projects that have contributed to an understanding of the consequences of fusion reactor accidents.

In 1994, she received the Fusion Power Associates Board of Directors' Excellence in Fusion Engineering Award for her "very important contributions to fusion safety engineering and in recognition of impressive leadership qualities."

In 1996, she received the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor Program Certificate of Merit for outstanding technical excellence and leadership in ITER Safety Research and Development.

She has worked at the Kurchatov Institute in Moscow, Russia, the Efremov Institute in Leningrad and the Latvian Academy of Sciences in Riga, and has participated in numerous national and international fusion energy conferences and symposiums and authored or co-authored more than four dozen journal articles.

The INEEL is a science-based, applied engineering national laboratory dedicated to supporting the U.S. Department of Energy's missions in national security, energy security, environmental quality and science. The INEEL is operated for the DOE by Bechtel BWXT Idaho, LLC.