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Alicia Manjón Sanz’s drive and natural curiosity about the composition of materials earned her the Marie Curie Early Stage Researcher fellowship in 2011, and her work carried her through Spain, the United Kingdom and Japan before bringing her to 91���� in 2020. Sanz is a neutron scattering scientist working at the Spallation Neutron Source, or SNS, a Department of Energy Office of Science user facility.

Now, her questioning attitude and leadership skills are taking her back to Japan where she will represent ORNL at the 21st Annual Meeting of Science and Technology in Society forum later this year in Kyoto. 

Manjón Sanz is one of approximately 150 participants selected for this year’s Young Leaders Program. The program allows members of younger generations to network and discuss important topics on emerging world issues with Nobel Laureates, CEOs of private companies for applied science and technology, leaders of international professional organizations, other national laboratories and leading universities around the world. These fruitful conversations will aid ORNL’s mission of scientific discovery, clean energy and national security as well as DOE’s broader mission to ensure America’s security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions. 

“It is a great honor for Alicia to be representing the neutron scattering community of ORNL at this year’s Science and Technology in Society forum,” said Jens Dilling, associate laboratory director for ORNL’s Neutron Sciences Directorate. “We are very happy for her and proud of her accomplishments.” 

Neutron scattering provides details about the structure and motion of atoms that can’t be obtained with any other research method, providing insights that help with the development of novel materials and clean energy, including better, longer-lasting batteries, as well as drought-resistant crops, improved drug therapies, stronger welds and much more. Manjón Sanz works at , one of 20 instruments at the SNS.

Earlier this year, Manjón Sanz received the 2024 ORNL Early Career Competition Award for her proposal on “Designing Sustainable Materials for Energy Applications.” The goal of the project is to synthesize and process sustainable materials and investigate their structure-property relationships using neutron powder diffraction techniques guided by computational approaches. The project is designed to produce environmentally friendly materials that can be used in energy-related applications in a sustainable and eco-friendly way. This project will be carried out as a collaboration across ORNL with Manjón Sanz leading the effort. 

“I was very impressed with Alicia’s proposal. Her passion for creating a cleaner environment is commendable and directly in line with ORNL’s values,” said Jon Taylor, director of the Neutron Scattering Division. “It will be interesting to hear about her conversations with those in attendance at the forum, particularly on the topic of sustainability.”

Clean energy is one of many topics that Manjón Sanz is looking forward to discussing at the Science and Technology in Society forum. “This program is a platform for me to learn from people more experienced than myself,” said Manjón Sanz. “I am eager to expand my knowledge and bring that information back to ORNL and DOE. I feel excited to represent the lab at this year’s Science and Technology in Society forum.” 

To be eligible for the program, applicants must display strong leadership skills that allow them to take on a central role in research.

“I have always been impressed with Alicia’s work ethic and attitude. The high regard in which she holds the science and work we produce translates to both the team and those who visit SNS to utilize the world-leading resources we have here,” said Clarina dela Cruz, group leader for the Powder Diffraction group. 

The Science and Technology in Society forum offers a platform for world leaders in the fields of policy making, academia and industries to gather and provides a unique forum on science and technology. Founded in 2004 by Former Minister of Finance of Japan Kōji Omi, the purpose of this year’s Science and Technology in Society forum is to bring together scientists and global leaders to discuss topics such as sustainability, renewable energy and artificial intelligence. ORNL Director Stephen Streiffer also will attend the forum. He plans to speak during a session titled, “Investment and Financing for Energy Transition.”

Last year’s Science and Technology in Society forum included nearly 1,500 global leaders from more than 80 countries, regions and international organizations. In attendance were 14 Nobel Laureates, 51 university presidents and 10 academy of science presidents, including President of the National Academy of Sciences Marcia McNutt.

The Young Leaders Program will convene October 5, 2024, in Kyoto, Japan, at the Kyoto International Conference Center, leading up to the Science and Technology in Society forum, which will take place October 6-8.

UT-Battelle manages ORNL for DOE’s Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. The Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit — Kaeli Swaggerty