Barletta standing in front of A.T.A (advanced test accelerator), which can deliver high pulses of electrons (packing 50 million electron volts) at one second intervals. William Barletta received his Ph.D. in experimental high energy physics from the University of Chicago in 1972. After a term as instructor of physics at Yale University, he joined Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory where he held several research and management positions. From 1993 - 2006, he served as Director of the Accelerator and Fusion Research Division at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. While at Berkeley he was also founding Director of the Homeland Security and Non-proliferation Program. He is the coordinating editor-in-chief of the international journal, Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research - A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society.