An Audio Interview with Dr. Robert Welton, Senior Ion Source Physicist, Research Accelerator Division of the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), USA.
It was lovely to link with Dr. Robert Welton https://www.ornl.gov/staff-profile/robert-f-welton at the International Conference on Ion Sources (ICIS) in Oxford, England, week of September 8 – 12, 2025 https://indico.stfc.ac.uk/event/1192/. Rob has been a friend, advisor, and mentor for a couple of decades now, and it was fun, interesting, and educational to connect again at ICIS.
Dr. Welton’s audio interview link follows. Below the link are time stamps of my questions, and the first few words of answers, as a guide to the topics we discussed.
Question 1 (00:00): What is your role, and where do you work?
I work at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Spallation Neutron Source, we are responsible for the ion source for the machine …. that’s first and foremost!
Question 2 (01:31): What’s your title at ORNL?
Senior Scientist at Oak Ridge National Lab, and my role is being responsible for the ion source systems together with other people …
Question 3 (01:55): What was your career path to get there?
I went to Georgia Tech for a Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Ph.D.
Question 4 (02:07): What was your Master’s project, and your Ph.D. project?
There was no Master’s project, it was theoretical, it was a Ph.D. preparation type degree …
The Ph.D. was interesting … it was really cool … I was assigned to measure cross-sections on old equipment … converted mass spectrometers … and I did that for about 3 or 4 days … and I said I don’t really see myself doing this for the next 4 years ……………………………….. the team became interested in multi-charged ions ……………. so then I went and found a book by Dr. Ian Brown, “The Physics and Technology of Ion Sources” https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/3527603956?msockid=1a69d7e8609369e4280dc35061b468e9 …
Question 5 (04:33): Did you go to any of the US Particle Accelerator Schools, or maybe teach at one?
I’ll probably do that ….. I am seeing a lot of young people … they are brilliant … but they have not necessarily interacted with someone who has been through it before …
Question 6 (07:21): What is it like to live at Oak Ridge … what is the landscape like …?
It is beautiful. When I was at Georgia Tech I lived in the city, and I was not very happy with the big city. I love the country side …
Question 7 (07:44): It is near the Smoky Mountains?
It is near the Cumberland Mountains …
Question 8 (09:07): What kind of wildlife is around there?
My wife and I are big birders … there are deer in our yard …
Question 9 (09:55): Is there something from when you were little, some characteristic that you still see in yourself today as a scientist?
I think my father inspired me a lot. He was born in Nova Scotia and came down … he was very eager to nurture my curiosity … so in 2nd and 3rd grade I had all kinds of electronic stuff in the basement … chemistry stuff … I would be into each phase for three or four months and then they would tap out …. we ended up putting a long wave antenna up …
Question 10 (11:02): Where did you hang it?
It was 360 feet long … we put a step ladder up onto a telephone pole …….. and we brought it down into the house …
It meant a lot to me to have Rob partake in this interview. It was an enjoyable experience for both of us. I am very grateful for the time Rob has set aside over the years to provide advice in science, business, and on a personal level. I wish Rob continued great success in his life and career!
