NSF Physical Sciences Head Sean Jones Headed to Argonne

Argonne National Laboratory announced last week that it has selected Sean Jones as its next deputy director for science and technology.

Jones has been the head of the National Science Foundation’s Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate since 2020 and before that had been working at the agency for more than a decade. He holds a doctorate in materials science and, prior to NSF, was a researcher at Bell Labs and a professor of optical engineering at Norfolk State University.

His new appointment begins Oct. 9. Jones will leave NSF on Oct. 6 and his role will be filled on an acting basis by Denise Caldwell, who currently directs NSF’s Physics Division.