About FRA

Team and Program Organization to Meet Fermilab's Challenges

At a time of transition, challenge, and opportunity in elementary particle physics, Universities Research Association (URA) and the University of Chicago (UChicago) have joined forces to create Fermi Research Alliance (FRA), a limited liability company (LLC). FRA builds on URA's 40-year record of performance in the management and operation of Fermilab and UChicago's leadership since Argonne National Laboratory's (ANL) founding as the first national laboratory. With designated subcontractor EG&G/URS, the FRA team brings resources, collaborations, and best practices to address the laboratory's challenges and opportunities. FRA supports Laboratory Director Pier Oddone's long-term vision and total commitment to discovery, to the DOE scientific mission, and to ensuring our nation's continued preeminence in particle physics.

"FRA has put in place a managing organization focused on providing stronger management of scientific research and advocacy for science and improved corporate governance, operations, and business management.

The New FRA LLC. Our team combines the complementary expertise and resources of 3 leading organizations to provide maximum value to DOE/Office of Science.

Strong Management of Scientific Research and Advocacy for Science.

URA and UChicago bring a combined 100 years of experience in the successful management and oversight of DOE laboratories. Together in FRA, they provide a strong foundation for continued US leadership in particle physics and the best chance of attracting the International Linear Collider (ILC) to the US.

UChicago brings leadership and oversight, scientific resources, and reachback, most visibly through expanded collaborations with ANL. UChicago, in combination with Illinois' five leading research universities, spearheads the efforts to strengthen local and state support that will be needed if Fermilab is to host the ILC. The presidents of these universities sit on the FRA Board of Directors, which is chaired by UChicago President Robert Zimmer.

URA will generate the broad, national support that is crucial to moving forward with the ILC, as well as the consensus for the scientific agenda that links the Tevatron and the ILC. Through URA's Council of University Presidents, 90 US universities are engaged in guiding the future of Fermilab. A total of six universities—in addition to the Illinois universities—are represented on the FRA Board. Two international science leaders—Yoji Totsuka, former director of the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) from Japan and Ian Halliday, President of the European Science Foundation—also serve on the FRA Board, bringing connections critical to an international project like the ILC. In addition, the Board includes a former DOE laboratory director, the Deputy Director of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC), and corporate executives.

Improved Corporate Governance, Operations and Business Management, and Reachback to Resources.

FRA Board Chairman Robert Zimmer provides DOE with single-point accountability at the corporate level for laboratory performance, oversees the performance of the Laboratory Director and his management team, and ensures that Fermilab has the resources necessary for its scientific mission. Dr. Zimmer also serves as Chairman of the Board of UChicago Argonne, LLC, which holds the management and operations (M&O) contract for ANL. This linkage allows FRA to take advantage of critical synergies and collaborations between Fermilab and ANL that will result in efficiencies in operations, R&D, and user facilities.

Through our university members and designated subcontractor EG&G/URS, FRA provides intellectual, business management, ES&H, and QA capabilities and resources needed to deliver the most science per taxpayer dollar. UChicago and the other Illinois universities provide intellectual reachback through joint appointments, as well as programs and support through graduate and professional schools. EG&G/URS brings the industry reachback and best practices insight of a $3.9B facilities-management corporation.

Leadership from the FRA Management Team

FRA key personnel, renowned leaders in elementary particle physics research and laboratory management, bring to DOE the best possible leadership to achieve Fermilab's changing mission in an environment of limited resources. Dr. Piermaria Oddone, our Laboratory Director, brings an outstanding scientific research record, including his invention of the Asymmetric B-factory and his leadership of the Time Projection Chamber project at SLAC. Dr. Oddone came to Fermilab in 2005 following 15 years as Deputy Director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where he solved complex management issues, including the merger of three DOE Genome Centers at Los Alamos, Livermore, and Berkeley. Deputy Director Young-Kee Kim is a Professor of Physics at UChicago; she represents the University's commitment to the future success of Fermilab. Dr. Kim brings excellent scientific leadership credentials to Fermilab through her experience as co-leader for the Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF) Collaboration, her oversight for commissioning and operating CDF detectors, and her broad international scientific committee work.

Dr. Oddone and Dr. Kim, together with the entire key personnel team, have developed the new FRA science and business management approach. This approach is discussed throughout the "Science Strategy & Approach" and the "Operations & Business Management" pages that discuss the new initiatives that we are currently implementing to deliver maximum value to DOE.