Jim Peerenboom
James Peerenboom, who was instrumental in developing Argonne’s global and national security portfolio, died Dec. 26, 2018.
Peerenboom studied nuclear engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, earning a bachelor’s and master’s from the College of Engineering. He spent three years at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, then returned to the University of Wisconsin-Madison to earn a Ph.D. in decision analysis before starting a job at Argonne. As the founding director of the Infrastructure Assurance Center (IAC), he spent a long and distinguished career working on critical programs designed to protect our nation’s infrastructure. Peerenboom retired in 2014 with 32 years of service.
“Jim was the architect, visionary and ardent backbone of Argonne’s infrastructure analysis and larger global, national and homeland security portfolios,” said Dave Brannegan, Decision and Information Sciences division director. “He was always the smartest person in the room but was also the most humble as well and led with grace, caring, empathy and deep kindness that nurtured countless stakeholders — both within and outside of Argonne.” The division will continue to award the annual “Dr. Jim Peerenboom Award for Analytic Excellence” (started in 2015) to the staff member who embodies his qualities both professionally and personally.
A funeral and celebration of Peerenboom’s life will be held on Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019, at 10 a.m. at the St. Joseph Parish Center of New Hope, New Hope, Minn. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider a donation to CurePSP in his memory.