HERNANDO, FL, November 06, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Leonard Wesley Gray, PhD, chief scientist, retired from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, was selected by Marquis Who's Who for a prominent feature in the Orlando, Florida, regional edition of Forbes.

Leveraging more than five decades of professional excellence in the field of chemistry, Dr. Gray is currently retired, having spent the latter half of his career serving as the chief scientist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Dedicating his time to the prestigious laboratory from 1988 until his retirement in 2006, Dr. Gray acted within the U.S.-Russian Plutonium Disposition Program and also helmed the chemistry section of the Laser Isotope Separations Program. Earlier in his career, he served as a staff chemist at the Savannah River National Laboratory from 1972 to 1988 and at the Savannah River Plant from 1966 to 1969. In his post-retirement years, Dr. Gray lent his expertise on a part-time basis as a mentor for emerging scientists and engineers, as well as the chairperson of the Plutonium Experts Panel, where he headed work in the plutonium forensics industry. He fully retired in 2021 and now resides in Hernando, Florida.

Although he has experienced numerous milestones throughout his career, Dr. Gray is particularly proud of developing processes to recover plutonium from scrap stockpiles and reactor fuel that was previously deemed non-processable. Notably, the projects returned a significant portion of plutonium to the weapons foundry and were three of the four plutonium programs that helped push Russia into bankruptcy, thereby ceasing Cold War operations. Dr. Gray is also exceptionally gratified by his tenure at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Influenced by Dr. Morris Stubbs from New Mexico Tech and then Texas Tech University, who strongly inspired Dr. Gray to pursue his doctoral studies and offered his first paid teaching assistantship, Dr. Gray also credits the support of his father, Harvey C. Gray Sr., as a factor leading to his success. In fact, his father always encouraged him to exemplify tenacity in the face of struggle and attain his goals. To attest to his resounding legacy and longevity in the field, Dr. Gray was honored with the Glenn T. Seaborg Actinide Separation Award in 2002. Looking toward the future, he endeavors to continue traveling and spending more time with his family.

EDUCATION HIGHLIGHTS
Prior to commencing his career in chemistry, Dr. Gray pursued a formal education at Middle Georgia College, receiving an Associate of Arts in 1961. He subsequently received a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in 1964 and a Master of Science in chemistry from Texas Tech University in 1967. After accruing three years in his industry, Dr. Gray completed his education with a Doctor of Philosophy in inorganic chemistry from the University of South Carolina in 1972.

About Marquis Who's Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. The suite of Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who's Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.

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