“Science shouldn’t necessarily be impacted by a lot of outside factors, geopolitical, economic factors, but the reality is that it will be,” said Thomas Lograsso, director of the Critical Materials Innovation Hub at Ames National Laboratory and the 2025 R&D Leader of the Year. Lograsso has been with Ames Laboratory since 2007, also serving as director of materials science and engineering, deputy director and interim director during that time. Lograsso received his Ph.D. in metallurgical engineering from Michigan Technological University.
Dr Thomas Lograsso
American science – an open forum
Lograsso said that U.S. policy around science should support collaboration. “We have to be open,” he said, “We need to give people the freedom to be able to critically assess the data and the observations one makes as a scientist and to openly debate those and to be able to really, as a community, come to some consensus, and to be able to then take that understanding and project it into areas that can advance our science, our technology, our way of life.”
He added that the country needs to continue to invest “significantly” in areas that are national priorities for the U.S. to retain its position as a leader in science and technology.
A career in materials discovery research
Lograsso’s main research focus has been in materials discovery, he said. “I did a lot of materials discovery, growing new materials in single crystal form so that we could understand the intrinsic properties. And actually, I even developed a rare-earth-free magnetic alloy during my research days.”
Lograsso led the multi-PI program on synthesis and processing called Novel Material Synthesis, which aimed to produce materials of interest in a single crystal form for study, Lograsso said. Generally, the materials they studied had some sort of magnetic behavior, he added.
The project team set out to find a ductile alternative to Terfenol-D, a rare-earth bearing alloy containing terbium and dysprosium. “And like most rare earth transition metals, it’s brittle, it’s hard to work with. And so we set out to find a ductile equivalent. And turns out iron and gallium form an alloy that has a reasonable magnetostrictive property and proved to be ductile,” Lograsso said.
Credit: Ames National Laboratory
The substitute they created is called Galfenol, and Lograsso is credited as a co-inventor of the material.
“I take a lot of pride in the materials we produced,” Lograsso said, “We’d share them with other researchers, and they would continue to yield great science. And so the samples lived on, the publications continued.”
Setting others up for success
Lograsso said he got a lot of satisfaction from his role as deputy director. “I’m process oriented, and so making sure that institutions or departments can be run efficiently and stay focused, yet be able to implement strategic growth initiatives,” he explained.
In addition to improving efficiency and focus, Lograsso serves as a mentor in his role as director. “Being able to mentor our younger research staff and help them find those opportunities to grow professionally and bring world-class expertise to the Ames National Laboratory gives me a great deal of satisfaction,” he said.
As a mentor, Lograsso emphasizes listening to his staff and aligning the institution with their needs. “A lot of what I strive to do is to ensure other people are positioned well for success,” he said.
Seeing people through challenging situations, especially when funding is in limbo, is something Lograsso said he finds gratifying.
“I was very proud [to receive this award],” Lograsso said, “I take a lot of pride in my ability to lead people, so this is an affirmation that my leadership style has been recognized.”
Leadership advice from the leader of the year
Lograsso offered advice for becoming an administrator in a research institution: “To become a leader, you’re really putting either other individuals or the institution ahead and keeping the institution in the forefront and making decisions on what’s best for the institution has always served me very well.”
Lograsso also advised aspirational executives to “listen without judgment, incorporate and be open to other people’s ideas, to act with authority.”
“Everybody will have their own advice, but in the end, you’re the leader, so you have to be definitive in your thoughts and your actions to be able to really define the strategic trajectory for the institution,” he added.
Lograsso also advised future leaders to understand the structure and risk tolerance of their institution, as they will likely have to make decisions for which there is no procedure.
