Distinguished Lecture -- Computation and Science Policy 

Dr. Dimitri Kusnezov of NNSA will speak on “Computation and Science Policy.”

Time-urgent policy decisions are increasingly benefiting from the simulation of risks and outcomes.  However the ability to inject science into decision processes is haphazard, requiring awareness of potential tools and involvement in the policy decisions. Examples range from the Fukushima Daiichi accident and aircraft safety to the Gulf oil spill.  At the same time, expectations for great achievement still outpace our ability to effectively use simulation for innovation.  As our ability to simulate increasing complex systems expands, the potential to exert greater influences on high-consequence decisions hinges on rethinking our approaches to simulation.

Dr. Kusnezov received A.B. degrees in Physics and in Pure Mathematics with highest honors from UC Berkeley in 1982. Following a year of research at the Institut fur Kernphysik, KFA-Julich, in Germany in 1983, he went to Princeton University where he completed his MS in Physics (1985) followed by a Ph.D. in Theoretical Nuclear Physics (1988). At Michigan State University, he conducted postdoctoral research and then became an instructor. In 1991, he joined the faculty of Yale University as an assistant professor in physics, becoming an associate professor in 1996. He has served as a visiting professor at numerous universities around the world, is a Visiting Researcher at Yale University, and has published over 100 articles and a book.

Dr. Kusnezov joined federal service at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) in late 2001 and was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in 2005. He led a complex technical program responsible for national laboratory science and technology investments and certification of the US nuclear weapons stockpile, and architected a long-term national security vision and mission for the NNSA national laboratories. Dr. Kusnezov is currently the Chief Scientist and Director of the Office of Science and Policy for the NNSA.