Julie Ezold

Julie Ezold (née Graudons) is a nuclear engineer at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. She is campaign manager for the 252-Californium Campaign and was involved with the discovery of Tennessine.

Early life and education
Ezold took lessons and performed in ballet, tap, jazz, and baton at Merritt's Dance Center in Schenectady, New York. In fifth year she received an award for her examinations at Merritt. During high school Ezold completed a summer program in nuclear chemistry at the University of Lynchburg. She studied nuclear engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, graduating in 1990. She earned her master's degree in nuclear engineering in 1992 at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC using the High Flux Isotope Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Career
Ezold has worked at Oak Ridge National Laboratory since completing her postgraduate studies in 1992. Her early work considered Iodine-129 using Neutron Activation Analysis. She is the Californium Program manager, responsible for producing 252-Californium, 249-Berkelium and 252-Einsteinium. One microgram of Californium-252 can emit 2 million neutrons a second. Her work concentrates on transuranium elements and applications.

She received the US Department of Energy Defense Programs Award of Excellence in 2002. Her commitments to education were recognized at the UT-Battelle Awards Night for Exceptional Community Outreach. In 2009 she earned a Presidential Citation from the American Nuclear Society. She was awarded the Patricia Bryant Leadership Award of Nuclear Energy Institute's Women in Nuclear group. In 2010 Ezold was one of the team who discovered Tennessine. She studied the reactions of Berkelium-249 and Calcium-48. Her recent work looks to optimize the production of transcurium isotopes.

Awards and honors
In 2018 she was recognized by Marquis Who's Who Top Engineers for her sustained contributions to nuclear engineering.