He joined PPPL after receiving his Ph.D. in physics from MIT in 1974. He later became head of PPPL's Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) and was Deputy Director of PPPL from 1997 to 2008.

He received the American Physical Society Prize for Excellence in Plasma Physics in 1988; the U.S. Department of Energy's Distinguished Associates Award in 1995; and Fusion Power Associates Leadership Award in 2007. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

The ITER Administration Department, which Hawryluk will head, is responsible for project management, finance, procurement, human resources, document control and information technology.

Rob Goldston, who was PPPL Director when Hawryluk was Deputy Director, said, "Rich is a spectacularly good choice for this position at ITER. During his eleven years in the director's office at PPPL, he demonstrated an unparalleled depth of understanding of every aspect of scientific administration, and very good judgement on an extraordinarily wide range of issues. As everyone knows, he also has a very deep understanding of fusion science and engineering, so he will bring his own technical insights to share with the ITER leadership team as well."

Rich can still be reached at rhawryluk@pppl.gov