Paul Kearns will retire as Argonne National Laboratory director after nearly 10 yearsUChicago Argonne, LLC will search internationally for Argonne’s next directorKearns oversaw Aurora’s launch, an APS upgrade and Argonne’s Genesis Mission rolePaul Kearns , director of Argonne National Laboratory, will retire effective on March 31, 2027, after nearly a decade leading the U.S. Department of Energy research institution, the lab said Monday. Kearns called serving as Argonne’s director “a true honor and a privilege,” crediting the laboratory’s researchers, engineers and operations professionals for its success. Under Kearns, Argonne expanded its role in artificial intelligence and high-performance computing research, positioning the lab as a key contributor to the DOE’s Genesis Mission . Who Is Paul Kearns? Kearns joined Argonne in 2010 as chief operations officer before being named laboratory director in 2017, bringing more than three decades of experience managing DOE research enterprises.