Jill M. Hruby

Jill M. Hruby graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1981. For 36 years, she was based at Sandia National Laboratories, a research facility of the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. Hruby began as a scientist and rose to become Sandia's director, making her the only woman to lead a U.S. nuclear weapons laboratory. Directing a team of 12,000 scientists, engineers and contractors, she addressed critical security challenges. Following her retirement in 2017, Hruby was the inaugural Sam Nunn Distinguished Fellow at the Nuclear Threat Initiative from 2018 to 2019. She also served on several advisory committees, including the Defense Science Board and the National Academy of Science Committee for International Security and Arms Control. On July 26, 2021, Hruby was sworn in as the DOE’s under secretary for nuclear security and administrator of the NNSA. In this role, she leads the NNSA to advance the nation’s nuclear security missions, ensuring that the Nuclear Security Enterprise employs cutting-edge science to maintain the stockpile without testing, develops new technologies to reduce costs and enhance security, and stays ahead of adversaries. Purdue honored Hruby with a Distinguished Engineering Alumna Award in 2014.