READERPROFILE Bringing Supply Chains to Breakthrough Research and Science as told to Karen Kroll
ALLISON BENNETT IRION is director, supply chain research for Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). RESPONSIBILITIES: Bring together cross-disciplinary analytical and experimental capabilities to support reliable, secure, and competitive domestic supply chains. Develop and execute a strategy to enhance ANL’s impact in supply chain research. EXPERIENCE: Group leader and principal systems engineer, ANL; Officer in the U.S. Merchant Marine and Navy; Strategic Sealift Commander, Europe, Middle East and Africa; technical advisor for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration; senior systems engineer, Sandia National Laboratories. EDUCATION: M.S., systems engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; B.S. logistics and intermodal transportation, United States Merchant Marine Academy.
W hen I was growing up, my dad and I would go to the junkyard every weekend and get car parts. We built a 1962 Dodge Power Wagon from the panel up. We were doing engineering, but I never thought about it as that. In high school, I had a cool internship through my public school district and the Texas Rangers baseball organization called the Richard Greene Scholarship Program. I’d do rotations of six weeks at, say, a soup kitchen and then at the mayor’s office. It taught me about connecting to a cause bigger than myself. These experiences led me to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. I thought I would go into admiralty law. Then I was out at sea on September 11, which changed my mind. I went to Sandia National Labs as an
breakthrough research and science. Now, we have seat at the table. We’re asking questions about supply chain relative to advancements in, for instance, microelectronics. That’s new and exciting. I’m currently leading an initiative to develop the strategy for a domestic critical material supply chain that can support the United States’ energy, economic, and national security needs. Our goal is to accelerate the building of secure and reliable sources of critical minerals and material. We’re evaluating technology and the actions we can take
engineer. One of my first jobs was to use my knowledge of intermodal networks to identify how somebody could use one for a nefarious purpose. Another project was analyzing an Olympics game to determine where to put radiation detectors. There were many smart nuclear physicists and other experts who knew about detectors, but not about seaports and terminal operations. Understanding both as a supply chain practitioner in a government space is rare. Historically, people haven’t thought about supply chains in
“Historically, people haven’t thought about supply chains in breakthrough research and science. Now, we have a seat at the table.”
10 Inbound Logistics • May 2025
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