Matt Howell
Lead Engineer for Superconducting Linear Accelerator Systems
Spallation Neutron Source
Matt Howell is the lead engineer for superconducting linear accelerator systems at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). When he’s not working, Howell also raises and trains American saddlebreds, many of whom have competed in world championships. Howell has worked at ORNL for 17 years.
I work in cryogenics. Keeping this accelerator up and running means keeping it at an operable temperature, which requires us to maintain a two-kelvin helium refrigeration system. We’re working on a few upgrades to the system right now, which means I get to fabricate some new parts for the machine. I enjoy that hands-on work immensely.”
“There’s a whole bunch of professions here at ORNL that I think facilitate the actual groundbreaking science our researchers perform. The work we do makes an immediate, tangible impact on ORNL’s ability to achieve its goal of stellar scientific achievement, and getting to be a part of that mission is extremely rewarding to me.”
–Matt Howell
