Plenaries | Better Buildings & Better Plants Initiative

Wednesday Plenary: Hearing from the Experts: Emerging Technologies and Trends

Wednesday, May 13, 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM

Join us for a conversation with Better Plants partners about commercialization of innovative technologies, followed by a panel of leaders from DOE’s National Labs about emerging trends, technologies, and ideas that advance American commercial and industrial cost savings.


ANGELA BECKER-DIPPMANN Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Associate Lab Director of the Energy and Environment Directorate	MARY ANN PIETTE Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Associate Lab Director of the Energy Technologies Area	JUD VIRDEN National Laboratory of the Rockies Director	ROBERT WAGNER Oak Ridge National Laboratory Associate Lab Director of the Energy Science and Technology Directorate

Learn more about the speakers below.

ANGELA BECKER-DIPPMANN, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Associate Lab Director of the Energy and Environment Directorate

Angela Becker-Dippmann has been serving as associate laboratory director for PNNL's Energy and Environment Directorate (EED) since September 2025. Previously, in her cross-cutting role as Director of EED's Program Development Office, she evaluated emerging national, regional, and state energy and environmental priorities, policies, and programs to focus EED’s strategy on the most impactful outcomes. She rejoined PNNL in April 2019 after previously serving as an EED senior policy analyst from 2011–2015. In the meantime, she served as Staff Director at the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, with jurisdiction over the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, applied research and development programs, the Bonneville Power Administration, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the Department of the Interior.

MARY ANN PIETTE, Lawerence Berkeley National Laboratory
Associate Lab Director of the Energy Technologies Area

Mary Ann Piette is the Associate Lab Director (ALD) of the Energy Technologies Area (ETA) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. ETA conducts research to accelerate innovation to provide affordable, reliable, secure, and abundant energy systems for American prosperity. This work ranges from advancing building technologies to novel manufacturing systems, advanced materials for energy storage and hydrogen systems, cybersecure grid technologies, and efficient data centers. ETA’s R&D is built on strong engagement with industrial partners. Mary Ann also serves as a Senior Scientist with experience developing grid-edge technologies that have global adoption. Piette has an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from UC Berkeley and a Licentiate in Building Services Engineering from the Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden.

JUD VIRDEN, National Laboratory of the Rockies
Laboratory Director

Jud Virden has served as director of the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) since October 2025, overseeing more than 3,700 staff in support of the U.S. Department of Energy’s mission priorities. Virden joined NLR after more than 30 years at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), where he most recently served as associate laboratory director for the Energy and Environment Directorate. He oversaw a $500 million budget and led more than 1,700 scientists, engineers, and staff in support of the Department of Energy’s applied energy priorities, including modernizing the nation’s power grid; improving the reliability, resilience, security, and affordability of the energy system; and addressing complex issues in nuclear science and environmental management. He will build on NLR’s scientific excellence and drive meaningful, lasting transformation, advancing DOE’s priorities, and building collaborations with industry, academia, and the national labs to accelerate energy innovation and impact.

ROBERT WAGNER, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Associate Lab Director of the Energy Science and Technology Directorate

Robert Wagner is the associate laboratory director for the Energy Science and Technology Directorate (ESTD) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). In this role, he leads more than 550 researchers and operations staff focused on developing advanced technology solutions in manufacturing, buildings, transportation, and electrical grid infrastructure. He and his team steward four U.S. Department of Energy national user facilities including the Building Technologies Research and Integration Center (BTRIC), Carbon Fiber Technology Facility (CFTF), Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF), and the National Transportation Research Center (NTRC). The directorate also stewards the Grid Research Innovation and Development Center (GRID-C). These facilities enable strong collaborations that drive fundamental scientific research toward practical solutions to the nation's energy challenges, ensuring a more resilient, secure, and affordable energy future.

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