 After the conclusion of World War II and the Manhattan Project , Seaborg was eager to return to academic life and university research free from the restrictions of wartime secrecy . In 1946 , he added to his responsibilities as a professor by heading the nuclear chemistry research at the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory operated by the University of California on behalf of the United States Atomic Energy Commission . Seaborg was named one of the " Ten Outstanding Young Men in America " by the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce in 1947 ( along with Richard Nixon and others ) . Seaborg was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1948 . From 1954 to 1961 he served as associate director of the radiation laboratory . He was appointed by President Truman to serve as a member of the General Advisory Committee of the Atomic Energy Commission , an assignment he retained until 1960 . 
