Ellen Cerreta is the division leader for materials science and technology (MST) at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The MST division provides innovative and agile materials science and technology solutions for national security missions. By integrating the division’s capabilities across materials synthesis, processing, properties, and performance, she supports research, development and component manufacturing as well as the application of fundamental materials expertise to a range of national security needs including nuclear energy, nonproliferation, and global threat reduction.

Cerreta previously served as the deputy division leader for explosive science and shock physics and the ALDW high explosive safety program manager. In those roles, she worked to support explosive science and shock physics research as well as high explosive fabrication, disposition and execution of hydrodynamic experiments. Prior to that, Cerreta was the group leader and a scientist in the Materials in Radiation and Dynamic Extremes Group at Los Alamos National Laboratory. She earned her bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Virginia and her master’s and doctoral degrees in materials science and engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. Cerreta has been at LANL since 2001 and her own research focuses on the relationship between microstructure and dynamic materials properties. She has led a number of projects to investigate dynamic materials performance and provide insight toward advanced predictive capabilities for strength and damage in extreme environments. She has more than 100 peer-reviewed publications in this area of research.

Additionally, Cerreta has been deeply involved in the materials profession through her service in a number of professional societies and her work with academia. She has served on the Minerals Metals and Materials Society (TMS) and ASM, International Board of Directors and Board of Trustees, respectively. She is the incoming, 2021 president for TMS. Cerreta is an adjunct faculty member in the Institute of Shock Physics at Washington State University and was inducted into the 2016 ASM Fellows Class.