UC Berkeley professor Paul Alivisatos was appointed interim director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Thursday following the confirmation of former director Steven Chu as secretary of energy for the new presidential administration.

Chu was sworn in Wednesday and is currently in Washington, D.C.

Alivisatos, who has been deputy director of the lab since 2007, was selected for the position by UC President Mark Yudof and members of the UC Board of Regents, and will be confirmed at the next regents meeting in early February, officials said.

At the time of the appointment, Alivisatos was in Sweden and could not be reached for comment. However, colleagues attested to his qualifications for the job.

"He'll be excellent for the position," said Elaine Chandler, who is the deputy director of the Helios Solar Energy Research Center and has worked with Alivisatos since 2004. "He is a wonderful and easy person to work with, he has great scientific understanding of many fields, and he has the respect of everybody in the laboratory."

Chandler said Alivisatos would likely continue with the overarching themes of Chu's directorship, including Chu's commitment to alternative energy research. Alivisatos himself has expressed his enthusiasm for the former director's scientific vision.

Jay Keasling, division director for physical biosciences at the lab and a professor of chemical engineering, said Alivisatos has worked extensively in the field of nanotechnology and on developing efficient solar cells for the Helios Project, an initiative by the lab to create renewable fuels.

"He has been instrumental in getting renewable energy projects started in the laboratory," Keasling said. "So we are very fortunate that Paul would take this position."

Before serving as deputy director of the lab, Alivisatos was the associate laboratory director for physical sciences. He is also a professor of chemistry, and studied chemical physics as a graduate student at UC Berkeley.

In a press release, the university said it expects to launch a national search for a permanent lab director in the next few weeks.

But for now, Alivisatos is expected to fill the position capably.

"He is the perfect choice to replace Steve Chu," said Michael Marletta, the interim director's colleague and chair of the chemistry department.

Tags: STEVEN CHU, ENERGY, LAWRENCE BERKELEY NATIONAL LAB