After a 35-year tenure in Berkeley Lab’s Engineering Division, Ross Schlueter, the Engineering Division Science Deputy and head of the division’s Magnetics Engineering Department, is retiring.

“I’m very proud of the collective expertise, creativity, professionalism, and accomplishments of the Engineering Division’s world-class staff of engineers, designers, and technical personnel. It’s truly inspiring,” Schlueter says, reflecting on his career. “Especially because recruiting top talent and working with Scientific Division and Engineering Division colleagues to identify and meet critical engineering needs has been a big priority during my time at the Lab.”

Schlueter joined Berkeley Lab in 1990. He began his time at the Lab working alongside Klaus Halbach and colleagues to develop insertion devices and magnet systems for the Advanced Light Source (ALS). Later, Schlueter spent seven years as head of the Engineering Division’s Mechanical Engineering Department and 11 years heading the Magnetics Engineering Department. He also served as interim Engineering Division Director and interim head of the Manufacturing Engineering Department.

Over the course of his career at Berkeley Lab, Schlueter has made critical engineering contributions to many big science projects and programs. He designed interaction region magnets for the B-factory at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC), and novel electromagnet detectors for the Solenoidal Tracker at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (STAR, RHIC) and the Pioneering High Energy Nuclear Interaction eXperiment (Phenix), both for Brookhaven National Laboratory. He led the engineering effort in the fabrication of the ALS superbend magnets — a first of its kind for synchrotrons — which greatly expanded the ALS spectral range.

Schlueter was instrumental in work on the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) at SLAC. In addition, he worked on the follow-up LCLS-II undulator project, originating a magnetic dual compensation scheme to suppress field errors over an unprecedented spectral range in this variable-gap permanent magnet (PM) hybrid-based free-electron laser (FEL).

“The things I’ve appreciated most about working at Berkeley Lab are the people, the camaraderie, the mission, the work, and successfully meeting the technical challenges,” Schlueter comments.

Ross Schlueter stands with an IMP Wiggler at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) while working with Berkeley Lab and LLNL colleagues to achieve electron cyclotron resonance heating from the Intense Microwave Prototype (IMP) induction-linac based free-electron laser (IFEL) amplifier for the Microwave Tokamak Experiment (MTX). Credit: Berkeley Lab Photo Archive

Schlueter is an originator and champion of novel accelerator magnets comprising permanent magnets, including those featuring no macroscopic moving parts and others featuring ultra-compact tunable combined-function magnets, which have the potential to play important roles in future accelerators, both in high-energy physics and light source realms. The latter’s architecture is based on an earlier invention of a compact arbitrary strength combined function pure permanent magnet for multipole correction and for in-situ dial-in magnet strength, as was employed at the Advanced Light Source.

At Berkeley Lab, Schlueter saw the immense value that Engineering Division support could bring to fields beyond traditional applications in the Physical Sciences and ALS. Working with Tom Budinger of the Biosciences Area, Schlueter fostered collaboration with the University of California, Berkeley, Chemistry Department to design and build a magic angle rotating field (MARF) NMR/MRI magnet, demonstrating the potential to realize vivo measurement of the chemical composition of specific biological tissues and organs.

When asked for his best career advice, Schlueter recommends: “Keep learning; match your specific skill set to the technical challenges presented; take advantage of opportunities as the train passes by; and support your colleagues!”

Among his career accomplishments, Schlueter has co-authored over 100 technical publications and several book chapters; he has been awarded a number of patents; and he has served on technical advisory and review committees. Additionally, Schlueter has been a perennial teacher at the US Particle Accelerator School and its affiliates, including the International Committee for Future Accelerators (ICFA) Schools in Hsinchu, Taiwan, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, with well over 100 graduates now serving in positions in the accelerator magnetics arena in laboratories worldwide, including at Berkeley Lab.

“Ross is not only a superb engineer, but also a valued advisor and mentor to our staff and a cherished leader,” says Daniela Leitner, Engineering Division Director, Berkeley Lab. “He has built a dynamic magnetics engineering team, which will continue his legacy. His strong commitment to the division is demonstrated by the many roles he has filled over the years, as well as his willingness to help where needed. He will be missed.”

Schlueter holds a Ph.D. in magnetohydrodynamics and an M.S.M.E. in thermal sciences, both from Stanford University and a B.S.M.E. from the Georgia Institute of Technology.