A new interim director has been named for the Ames Laboratory and Institute for Physical Research and Technology.

Alan Goldman, division director of the Ames Laboratory and professor of physics and astronomy, was appointed by John Brighton, vice president of research and economic development, to become interim director March 1, when current director Thomas Barton steps down.

“This is a great opportunity, and very unique,” Goldman said. “This is one of the most important opportunities the university has.”

Goldman is working with Barton and becoming familiar with the job of director. Goldman already has a management position and has been associated with the lab for the last 19 years.

Goldman is a very strong scientist, has many publications and has been in a leadership position, Brighton said.

In searching for an interim director, Brighton interviewed most of the leadership in the Ames Lab, and Goldman was referenced as the best person for the job.

“He’s probably not going to make many changes at this point,” Brighton said.

Goldman plans on keeping things running smoothly during the search for a permanent director.

“They [Ames Lab] are a tremendous group of people and a tremendous organization,” Goldman said. “I want to keep them moving in the right direction.”

Meanwhile, the search for a permanent director moves forward.

“We’re obviously moving as quickly as we can,” said Bruce Thompson, distinguished professor in the Center for Nondestructive Evaluation and chairman of the committee formed to find a new director.

They hope to have a new director by July 1, Thompson said.

The committee met Friday to go over the job description and advertisement for the position. Once they work out the details, they will release the advertisement and accept job applications. From those, they hope to find a qualified individual to direct the Ames Lab.

Some of the qualities required of a new director would be technical leadership, significant management capabilities and experience in dealing with federal agencies, Thompson said. Also, he or she needs to have a sense of future direction because science does not stay the same.

“Science by its very nature is constantly changing,” Thompson said. “There are new discoveries and new research.”

Experience in dealing with the government is needed because Ames Laboratory, which consists of Spedding Hall, Metals Development, Wilhelm Hall and the Technical and Administrative Services Facility, is known as a government-owned, company operated organization. The director reports to the Department of Energy.

Goldman has said he will not be applying for the permanent director position due to rules designed to avoid conflicts of interest with his current interim director position.