Karen Sikes became director of the National Isotope Development Center (NIDC) in January 2024. She leads the day-to-day activities of the NIDC, managing the interface with the isotope user community and facilitating the DOE IP mission.
Sikes joined the NIDC in 2017. In her previous role as NIDC’s associate director for production planning, she managed production planning of critical isotopes across the DOE IP’s facility network, including national laboratories and partner universities, to ensure reliable and efficient distribution. She was also responsible for monitoring and analyzing key isotope market segments and supply chains to aid the DOE IP in strategic program decisions.
Before joining the NIDC, Karen managed a team of research analysts, communications specialists, and engineers in support of numerous clean energy initiatives for DOE and other government agencies.
She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in biomedical engineering; a Master of Science degree in industrial engineering with a concentration in product development and manufacturing; and a Master of Business Administration degree with concentration in operations management, all from the University of Tennessee.
