Andrea Watson has been named the new associate laboratory director (ALD) for the Innovation, Partnering, and Outreach (IPO) directorate at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden. Previously, she directed NREL’s Strategic Partnerships Office (SPO) for the past two years.
Watson joined NREL in 2009 as a junior researcher and has built a reputation for fostering collaboration and strategic approaches to enhance NREL’s impact on renewable energy.
NREL Director Martin Keller commended Watson’s selection, stating, “We are fortunate to have someone as qualified as Andrea to further the success of the IPO directorate. Andrea has demonstrated skill in securing partnerships to advance NREL technologies and programs, and the Leadership Team congratulates her on this deserved position.”
As the first director of the SPO, which she helped establish in 2022, Watson focused on increasing NREL’s network of global partnerships, achieving a record $143 million in partnerships during fiscal year 2023. She played a key role in launching Impact26, NREL’s strategic approach to enhancing non-DOE funding. Following its rollout in December 2023, NREL successfully closed $170 million in new partnership agreements and modifications in fiscal year 2024, surpassing its target of $153 million.
Before leading the SPO, Watson served as NREL’s laboratory program manager for strategy, where she developed the organization’s first strategic agenda. She also held positions as a group manager and researcher.
In her new role, Watson will continue to drive Impact26 while enhancing partnerships and expanding NREL’s outreach efforts. “I am incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to serve on the NREL leadership team as the IPO ALD,” Watson said. “I am so excited about the impact IPO can have through partnerships, enabling startups, and tech transfer and licensing.”
Watson succeeds Bill Farris, who is moving to the role of chief external development officer at NREL.
