Office of Education and Public Engagement: Ketevan Akhobadze, Lederman Science Center manager

Ketevan Akhobadze is the manager of Lederman Science Center (LSC). She is responsible for creating, executing, and leading the vision for the LSC. This includes long-term planning, designing and developing interactive exhibits, overseeing the use of space, and ensuring that visitors have a safe and high-quality experience.

Akhobadze holds a Ph.D. in particle physics from Tbilisi State University in Georgia. She has many years of experience in scientific research, science education, and scientific-exhibit development. She has taught physics, mathematics, and computer programming at Aurora University and at Waubonsee Community College. Akhobadze has published 17 scientific papers, and her work was also featured in Symmetry magazine and Science in School.

Before moving to the United States in 2002, she worked as a particle physicist at the Institute of Physics in Tbilisi, Georgia, and was a member of the ALICE collaboration at CERN.

In her free time, Akhobadze enjoys traveling with her family, seeing new places, and meeting new people.