"This award is well-deserved recognition for John Maenchen’s leadership in science, technology, and effects of nuclear weapons through a continuing study and use of plasma physics," said Don Cook, NNSA’s Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs. "Being named an IEEE Fellow is a tremendous honor and demonstrates John Maenchen’s extraordinary accomplishments. NNSA is fortunate to have dedicated professionals who are truly leaders in their fields working to promote our nuclear security agenda."

The IEEE grade of Fellow is conferred by the IEEE Board of Directors upon a person with an outstanding record of accomplishments in any of the IEEE fields of interest. The total number selected in any one year cannot exceed one-tenth of one- percent of the total voting membership. IEEE Fellow is the highest grade of membership and is recognized by the technical community as a prestigious honor and an important career achievement. This year, 321 individuals have been elevated to IEEE Fellow.

Maenchen received a Ph.D. in ElectroPhysics from Cornell University in 1983 and immediately joined Sandia National Laboratories. As both a scientist and manager he advanced science, technology, and engineering through the design and construction of pulsed power accelerators, the invention and development of new intense electron-beam, ion-beam, and z-pinch loads, the modeling and theory of their operation, the invention of diagnostic approaches to investigate their performance, and the invention and development of new government and commercial applications for these capabilities. In this time he initiated a resurgence in pulsed power driven flash radiographic technologies, leading an international team to significantly advance the state of the art. This body of achievement was honored with the 2009 IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Science Society Pulsed Power Science and Technology Committee’s Peter Haas award.

Subsequent to these activities, Maenchen managed Nuclear Weapons Science and Technology Program international strategic planning, the site Deinventory of Special Nuclear Materials, and the Readiness in Technical Base and Facilities portfolios. Since 2009 he has served in his current role at NNSA. He can be reached at John.Maechen@nnsa.doe.gov