After a roundtable with U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Jefferson Lab Director Jens Dilling said he’s optimistic about the future of the Newport News-based Department of Energy research facility in 2026 despite a recent announcement of voluntary resignations.
“Funding is, of course, crucial for making things happen,” Dilling said. “Virginia’s leadership recognizes the value of a national lab here for our nation, for our region, but also for the universities around us.”
Gov. Glenn Youngkin joined Dilling and Wright on Thursday for a tour and discussion with regional industry leaders.
Jefferson Lab is one of the world’s preeminent nuclear physics research hubs, boasting that a third of all doctorates granted in the field in the U.S. base their studies on work done at the lab.
It’s currently preparing to begin cutting-edge research on the fundamental theory of nuclear particle physics, called the Standard Model, through a project called the Moller Experiment.
Jefferson Lab is also the home of the future High Performance Data Facility as the research center expands into data science and artificial intelligence work. Youngkin said it’s going to become a key part of the lab when completed in 2029.
“It will be an enabler, an amplifier and really set the standard for data – for secure, curated data – that is available to actually make AI readiness and AI acceleration possible,” Dilling said.
Some researchers at the facility, though, are concerned about the laboratory’s ability to meet its goals in light of federal budget proposals. President Donald Trump’s budget includes an 8% cut for nuclear physics research, a key funding source for the lab. It also includes no funds for the High Performance Data Facility in 2026. Congress is still finalizing budget appropriations.
Thia Keppel, associate lab director, said they need money to maintain the lab’s uniquely skilled workforce. Many have skillsets shared by few on the market, and, given the reach of the lab’s research, slowing down work can have a big ripple effect.
“A loss in capability is actually an international loss in capability,” Keppel said. “We’re hopeful that in the debates … that the funding will come back up and it’ll be okay.”
Dilling announced this month that the lab wants to cut 7% of its staff and restructure remaining staff to focus on future research needs and “support our mission, support the administration.” He said the move is unrelated to cuts in the federal government and will prioritize retaining staff with critically needed expertise.
Dilling said the lab got $8 million in federal funds for the data facility in 2025. The state kicked in another $40 million. He said President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act also opens hundreds of millions in funding opportunities for AI research through the Department of Energy.
Wright downplayed potential funding cuts for labs. He said there won’t be “any meaningful cuts to national labs across the country” after the appropriations process.
“I actually think you’ll see much greater productivity, more science done in the four years of the Trump administration than the last four years,” Wright said.
Wright declined to address specifics about the Department of Energy contract for Jefferson Lab and why a management procurement process for the lab was abruptly stopped in February.
A notice of the cancellation stated it was because “key elements of the solicitation’s statement of work and evaluation criteria do not adequately reflect or align with the priorities of the current Administration, as outlined in several Executive Orders issued by President Trump.”
The lab is managed by Jefferson Science Associates, created by the Southeastern Universities Research Association. The association founded the research facility in 1984. Its contract, which originally expired on May 31, has been extended by a year.
The department has since reopened the process. Proposals are due in October.
The department said it expects to award the contract by the end of March 2026.
