Denis Peterson, whose vision helped shape Berkeley Lab Engineering Division’s Project Controls team, passed away on October 17, 2025, at the age of 74. Peterson established and led the Division’s Project Controls Group, which today is a department-level unit within the Engineering Division that plays a key part in ensuring complex, multi-year scientific projects achieve successful outcomes. Over the course of his 17-year tenure at the Lab, Peterson contributed to many landmark projects.
Peterson began his career at Berkeley Lab in 1998 as a Resource Analyst for what was at the time known as the Physical Biosciences Division, later to be combined with Life Sciences to form what is today the Biosciences Area. He later held a similar role in the Accelerator and Fusion Research Division, now known as the Accelerator Technology & Applied Physics (ATAP) Division. In 2003, Peterson, along with colleague Michael Barry, pioneered the role of Project Controls at the Lab. He initially supported two collaborative projects: the Dual Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test facility (DARHT) and the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS). Both projects were in need of Project Controls support for their Earned Value Management Systems. Peterson was a perfect fit, with his finance background, bright personality, and collaborative nature.
“Denis established and led the Project Controls Group within the Engineering Division until his retirement in 2015,” says Sergio Zimmermann, former Project Manager and head of the Engineering Division’s Electronics, Software, and Instrumentation Engineering Department. “This department is crucial for ensuring the successful completion of projects by overseeing and reporting their finances and schedule. What began as a new initiative eventually evolved into a two-dozen-member operation, providing essential support to various divisions across LBNL.”
Over the duration of his career in the Engineering Division, Peterson played a key role by lending project management and controls support to the following LBNL projects:
- Gamma-Ray Energy Tracking In-beam Nuclear Array (GRETINA)
- SuperNova / Acceleration Probe (SNAP)
- Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI)
- Large Underground Xenon (LUX) experiment
- Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory (DUSEL)
- A Large Ion Collider Experiment (ALICE)
- Electromagnetic Calorimeter (EMCAL)
- Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events (CUORE)
- Berkeley Lab Laser Accelerator (BELLA)
- Linac Coherent Light Source II (LCLS II) Undulator Systems
“A unique strength was Denis’s appreciation for the technical and scientific aspects of the projects, which went beyond standard control processes,” Zimmermann comments. “This insight allowed him to collaborate with project management to establish a highly effective control structure that accurately addressed the underlying project complexity.”
Under Peterson’s leadership, the fledgling Project Controls Group grew into a valuable resource for the Lab. The Group started with just two people, including Peterson. By the time of his retirement, it had grown to eight people, including contractors. He was also instrumental in aligning Berkeley Lab with the same suite of software tools used by colleagues across the DOE complex. Through his work, Peterson laid the foundation for the current Project Controls Department, which now employs 22 Project Controls Analysts and is integral to work done at the Lab.
“Denis was remarkable in both his leadership in setting up the Project Controls Group in Engineering and his ability to extract and develop good project schedules and estimates,” remembers Kem Robinson, former LBNL Project Management Officer and former Engineering Division Director. “His careful, nurturing development of Project Controls directly contributed to a group that is recognized in the DOE Lab complex as extremely competent, creative, and willing to do whatever is needed for projects at LBNL. As evidenced by the significant number of projects in which he helped manage and support, he contributed to a strong lasting legacy across a remarkable number and variety of scientific endeavors.”
Peterson was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and an avid reader. He always enjoyed a good laugh and was known for his kind, friendly, and cheerful nature.
