Leadership Team

Nigel Smith assumed the role of TRIUMF Executive Director and CEO in May 2021. Previously, Smith served as Executive Director of SNOLAB (Sudbury, ON); he also holds adjunct Professor status at Queen’s University, and a visiting Professorial chair at Imperial College, London. 

In his role as TRIUMF Director, Smith draws on an extensive portfolio of strategic and leadership experience in the development of science research facilities in the U.K. and Canada. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) in the Earth4D programme, co-Chair of the IUPAP Neutrino Panel, and a valued contributor to a wide variety of international advisory committees for the advancement of science across the globe.  

As a scientist, Smith has pursued a wide breadth of world-leading research in extreme environments, including astrophysics and astronomy, deep underground science, and experimental and detector physics. He has worked in underground labs in the UK and Canada, and served as Group Leader, Dark Matter Research at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory for over a decade.  

Smith continues to serve science and academic communities across the globe in several capacities. He received his Bachelor of Science in physics from Leeds University in the U.K. in 1985 and his Ph. D. in astrophysics from Leeds in 1991 for work in VHE gamma ray astronomy from the South Pole. 

Sanjeev Dewett leads the ongoing modernization of TRIUMF’s Core Services division to ensure that TRIUMF systems and processes continue to support the needs of the cutting-edge research performed at the lab, with an eye to ensuring operational excellence across our programs. He oversees TRIUMF’s compliance with the CNSC and other regulatory bodies. 

Dewett brings over twenty years of experience in the public sector serving federal, provincial, and local governments, including executive roles responsible for Corporate Services, Intergovernmental & Stakeholder Relations, Compliance, and Chief of Staff to a Deputy Minister. He also has proven experience developing and delivering initiatives for Indigenous peoples, and for portfolios related to economic development and innovation. Born and raised in Vancouver, he recently moved back to British Columbia after 28 years in Toronto to be closer to family. 

Dean Chai is a dynamic and approachable leader whose career spans groundbreaking scientific research and transformative health and safety leadership. With a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Calgary specializing in RNA structures, Dean brings a rigorous, analytical approach to environmental, health and safety (EHS) management. His professional designations – including Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP), Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Specialist Member of the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (SIIRSM), and certified auditor of ISO standards – complement his extensive experience across manufacturing, logistics, and energy sectors, where he has

Rituparna Kanungo brings leadership and oversight for a variety of TRIUMF’s scientific programs, leading the definition and execution of the Physical Science Division programming and collaborating to set the direction for TRIUMF at an important time for the laboratory. Kanungo directs the Division’s six departments (Particle Physics, Nuclear Physics, Molecular and Materials Sciences (CMMS), Theory, Scientific Computing, and Science Technology) in advancing operational excellence; supporting TRIUMF’s broad network of researchers, students, and users; and exploring new ways to leverage TRIUMF’s world-leading infrastructure.

Kanungo is an accomplished nuclear physicist and an experienced leader, and she brings a wide range of expertise built at TRIUMF and at facilities around the world through the leadership of scientific programming and international collaborations at RIKEN in Japan, GSI in Germany, and elsewhere. Her research expertise has been recognized through several invited talks, including the honourable invitation to speak at the Nobel Symposium. She is also the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions, including the Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP) Fellowship, the American Physical Society Fellowship, the CAP-TRIUMF Vogt Medal Award, and the Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship.

Oliver Kester joined TRIUMF as the Director for the Accelerator Division in September 2016. Prior to joining TRIUMF, Oliver served as a Director for the GSI accelerator facility in Darmstadt, Germany. He has also previously served as the director of the FAIR subproject ACC, where he was responsible for the construction of all FAIR accelerators.

An accomplished accelerator physicist, Kester has been a professor at the Institute of Applied Physics at Goethe-Universität Frankfurt and has held various faculty and administrative positions at CERN, Universität München, and Michigan State University. Oliver’s research interests include the production and transport of intense charged particle beams, accelerator cavity developments, beam instrumentation, and electron target development for heavy ion storage rings. He holds a Ph.D. in physics from Goethe-Universität Frankfurt and is the member of several national and international professional panels and committees. As Director of TRIUMF’s Accelerator Division, Dr. Kester is responsible for the safe, effective, and reliable operation of all of TRIUMF’s accelerator facilities, the construction of the ARIEL project, and the advancement of accelerator research.    

Sean Lee is TRIUMF’s Chief of Staff, responsible for managing the interface between TRIUMF leadership and internal and external stakeholders, as well as ensuring the alignment and execution of strategy across the organization. In this role, Sean has line management responsibilities for Communications, Academic Engagement, Education, and Stakeholder Relations.

Lee joined TRIUMF in May 2014, bringing significant experience in government relations and international affairs and previously served as Head, External Relations, as well as Head, Communications. Prior to joining TRIUMF, Sean developed his skills in various positions in Washington, DC and Ottawa, in roles which included Senior Innovation Officer with Global Affairs Canada where he worked on the development of Canada’s international science and innovation policies. He holds an MSc in Comparative Politics from the London School of Economics and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia. 

Bill Richert joined TRIUMF in 2011 as part of the ARIEL construction project management team and over time has assumed a growing portfolio of engineering responsibilities, first as Mechanical Services Group Leader then as Chief Engineer and Director, Engineering Services. Richert brings a wealth of engineering design and construction management experience from his time as a consulting engineer, including having served as a principal in two firms and as AECOM’s Manager for Program and Construction Management in southern Alberta. As a consultant he has specialized in tailoring project controls to suit the needs of each client including large-scale science projects such as the construction of the University of Hawaii’s free electron laser facility.

Richert is registered as a professional engineer in British Columbia and Manitoba and brings 30 years experience in the management of technically challenging engineering projects and the coordination of multi-discipline engineering and construction teams. Bill’s passion for sustainability led him to be the design lead for the implementation of TRIUMF’s initial round of Power Smart energy conservation measures that have resulted in significant infrastructure modernization and energy savings of over 1,000 MWh/year for TRIUMF.

Chris Astle joined TRIUMF as Chief Financial Officer in April 2025. Astle is a seasoned finance executive with extensive experience leading teams in complex international environments and ensuring financial planning and strategy are aligned with the overall vision of the company, helping organisations evolve and grow to reach their goals. He is responsible for all aspects of TRIUMF’s Finance and Supply Chain functions.

Prior to joining TRIUMF, Astle was the Chief Financial Officer of Zymeworks, a global clinical-stage biotechnology company. In this role he oversaw finance and accounting, IT, compliance, procurement and ESG. Astle also serves as a member of the board of directors of Healome Therapeutics, a private biotechnology company spun out of the University of Birmingham, and is a UK Chartered Accountant (ICAS), qualifying at PricewaterhouseCoopers. He holds a PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of Bristol (UK) and a Masters in Chemistry from the University of Liverpool (UK), and is also a certified ski instructor.

Jill Magtanong serves as TRIUMF’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Senior Advisor. 

Working with the Executive Director/CEO and the Leadership Team, she contributes to the advancement and promotion of EDI at TRIUMF through strategic development of a range of activities and programs, and advise, guide, and promote TRIUMF’s core values around Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Magtanong is a certified Diversity, Equity and Inclusion practitioner with experience creating company-wide programs and driving the company’s EDI strategy. This cross-functional and collaborative role had her working with all facets of HR and across many business units. Prior to joining TRIUMF, Magtanong led the EDI program at STEMCELL Technologies Inc., where she supported the ongoing development and maturation of the organization’s best practices related to EDI, which include the formation of employee resource groups, establishment of EDI metrics, and creation of learning and development tools.