The Alliance for Sustainable Energy has appointed Jud Virden as its president and the new director of the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, or NREL. Virden will replace Martin Keller and officially assume the role of the laboratory director on October 1, NREL said in a press release. NREL is the main national laboratory in the U.S. for research and development in clean energy, which is managed by MRIGlobal and Batelle.
Commenting on his appointment, Virden said he considered it a privilege to take on the role.
“I am eager to build on NREL’s reputation for scientific excellence and drive meaningful, lasting transformation. I look forward to growing collaborations within DOE, industry, academia, and the national labs—working together to accelerate energy innovation and impact,” he said.
Keller, who has been NREL’s director since 2015, will remain in the lab as a strategic advisor until early November before transitioning as president of the Helmholtz Association in Berlin, Germany.
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Who Is Jud Virden?
Virden is the associate laboratory director for the Energy and Environment Directorate at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, or PNNL, where he has worked for three decades. He also assumed several executive roles within the company. Under the Energy and Environment Directorate, he became the acting associate director and director of the energy market sector. He was also the deputy associate of the Energy Science and Technology Directorate, the director of transportation programs, technical group leader of the colloids and materials design group and industrial fellow at PNNL.
He began his career as an advanced chemical engineer at 3M.
Remarks by MRIGlobal’s Ian Colrain, Batelle’s Juan Alvarez
MRI Global CEO and President Ian Colrain and Battelle Executive Vice President of Laboratory Operations Juan Alvarez, co-chairs of the board at the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, welcomed Virden’s appointment.
“Jud’s leadership in driving transformative energy solutions makes him an outstanding fit for NREL,” the co-chairs said.
“He brings a rare combination of scientific rigor, strategic vision, and a collaborative spirit—paired with a deep understanding of DOE priorities and the national lab system. His ability to translate innovation into impact makes him ideally suited to lead NREL into its next chapter,” they added.
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