Kelly O. Sullivan

2025 Sigma Xi Fellow

For her outstanding leadership in advancing multidisciplinary research and innovation at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and for her exemplary service to the scientific community as a dedicated former President of Sigma Xi.

Biography

Dr. Kelly O. Sullivan joined PNNL in 2001 and is currently a Strategic Advisor in the office of the Deputy Director for Science and Technology. Previously she served as Director for Institutional S&T Investments. In this role her focus was elevating the impact of PNNL’s research programs in advancing laboratory strategy. Dr. Sullivan led this over $100M annual investment portfolio for capability and business development from April 2012 until October 2025. She created the Linus Pauling Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship Program in 2009 and managed the program until 2024.  Dr. Sullivan has had multiple other roles at the Laboratory, including leading internship programs, university partnerships, and managing the postdoc program. From April 2015 to October 2015 she served as the Interim Director of Institutional Strategy, and from October 2024 through April 2025 she served as the Acting Deputy Director for Science and Technology.

Prior to coming to PNNL, Dr. Sullivan was a chemistry professor at Mankato State University in Minnesota and at Creighton University in Nebraska. Her research interests focused on the electronic structure of small molecules and ions using both mass spectrometry and computational chemistry.

Dr. Sullivan lives in West Richland, Washington, with her husband, Ken Humphreys, and their three cats: Dash, Dot, and Void. Dot likes to attend Teams meetings.