• A researcher works with equipment

        • About Us

          URA is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) academic consortium composed of over 94 premier research universities across the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, and Japan headquartered in Washington, D.C. supporting government lab management and operation in the national interest.

        • A grassy area is located next to a column-lined outdoor walkway at a college campus

        • Member Universities

          URA fosters valuable university research partnerships through membership. URA presents members with research opportunities at national engineering and physics labs, engagement with laboratory leadership and management, and recognition of academic achievements.

        • Lab Management

          Since 1965 URA has been an integral part of the management of Fermilab, overseeing the management and operations of the lab and bringing the expertise of our 94 member universities to bear on the challenges facing the Fermilab.  URA supports scholars and interns doing research at Fermilab and recognizes outstanding contributions.  In 2007 URA became part of the organization that manages and operates Sandia National Laboratories and since then has worked to support the scientific and technical demands of Sandia by supporting external calibration of science, technology and engineering (ST&E) programs; aid in ST&E programs’ strategic planning; and assist in development of university partnerships and diverse workforce talent.

        • Science & Research Policy

          URA strives to engender an awareness of the current national science policy issues among its members and early career scientists. This is achieved through a variety of platforms at URA, including science policy and communication training, connecting scientists and policymakers, and policy town halls and workshops. URA’s goal is to facilitate effective science communication to promote the public’s understanding of scientific discoveries, foster trust in scientific institutions, and facilitate informed decision-making by policymakers and the public.

        • Two researchers in hard hats examine computer equipment

        • High Energy Physics User Community

          URA has been a supporter, convener, and integral part of the high energy physics User Community since Fermilab’s creation. Currently approximately seventy-five percent of the university-based users at Fermilab come from URA members. URA members represent the best scientific expertise the nation has to offer. Through our leadership, oversight, and programs URA is committed to ensuring that the full range of expertise from around the Nation and the world contributes to Fermilab’s scientific challenges and the user and affiliate community remains the vital part of the lab’s research base that it has always been.

  • Events
  • News
  • Contact Us

URA Staff

Home | About Us | Leadership & Management | URA Staff | David Schultz

URA Staff

DAVID SCHULTZ

Director, URA Sandia Site Office

David Schultz is a member of URA’s Executive Team and serves as Director of URA Sandia Site Office (USSO), contributing to and coordinating USSO’s efforts to support Sandia National Laboratories’ mission in service to the nation.  This work constitutes activities that foster linkages to external expertise at universities, in industry, and at other national laboratories, and aids in strategic planning, calibration of research portfolios, and development of research and development talent.

Previously, he served as Vice President for Research at Northern Arizona University, with administrative responsibility for the university’s Office of Sponsored Projects, Office of Research Compliance, and intellectual property management and commercialization unit, NAU Innovations.  Before that he was Associate Vice President for Research and Innovation at the University of North Texas (UNT), Professor and Chair of the Department of Physics at UNT, Group Leader of Atomic Physics at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and Research Professor at the University of Tennessee.  At ORNL, he became well-known for development of new research programs and for strategic planning, strengthening support for research by the U.S. Department of Energy and developing broader funding for work from other agencies such as NASA and the Department of Homeland Security.

David has authored or co-authored more than 200 scholarly papers treating, for example, the computational solution of the atomic-scale few-body problem, diagnostics of fusion energy plasmas, spectral emission from the atmospheres’ of planets, and use of ultra-intense, ultrafast laser pulses as particle accelerators.

He is an accomplished theoretical physicist whose research involves both basic studies of few-body atomic-scale systems and applications of atomic physics in astrophysics and plasma science.  He has authored or co-authored more than 200 scholarly papers treating, for example, the computational solution of the atomic-scale few-body problem, diagnostics of fusion energy plasmas, spectral emission from the atmospheres’ of planets, and use of ultra-intense, ultrafast laser pulses as particle accelerators.  In recognition of his research and research leadership he has been elected a fellow of the American Physical Society (APS) and of the Institute of Physics in the United Kingdom.

Dr. Schultz has served on a wide range of advisory and review panels such as the National Academy of Science’s Committee on Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Sciences and as a consultant and advisory group member for the Atomic and Molecular Data Unit of the International Atomic Energy Agency.  He is also a past Chair of the American Physical Society (APS) Division of Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics and member of the APS Council of Representatives.