Kimberly Budil was appointed by the UC Regents as the vice president for laboratory management in the UC Office of the President, UC President Janet Napolitano announced Tuesday.

After a 27-year career at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Budil will succeed Glenn Mara, who retired Wednesday after serving in the position for nearly two years. Budil will assume her position starting Thursday.

As vice president, Budil will oversee the university’s management responsibilities with the Lawrence Berkeley, Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore National laboratories, according to Chris Harrington, the associate director of federal governmental relations for UCOP.

“UC has a proud history of managing these laboratories on behalf of the nation and this has led to tremendous scientific and technological research and excellence coming forth from each of these labs,” Harrington said in a text message.

In addition to her nomination as vice president, she has been appointed the executive committee governor on the boards of governors of the Lawrence Livermore National Security and the Los Alamos National Security.

Currently serving as a program manager at the Nuclear Counterterrorism Program in Global Security Principal Directorate at the Livermore lab, Budil received her bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1987 and her doctorate in applied science engineering from UC Davis in 1994.

As a woman in a highly male-populated discipline, Budil has worked to increase the presence of underrepresented communities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, serving on the committee on the status of women in physics at the American Physical Society.

Prior to working at the Livermore lab, she worked with the Department of Energy, Department of Homeland Security and intelligence organizations, including the FBI, with extensive experience in global security, weapon safety and various physical and life sciences.