Collaboration that accelerates innovation

One of the things that makes LLNL such an exciting place to work is our multidisciplinary research environment, where diverse groups of experts team up to solve highly complex challenges. While this collaborative research environment enables us to achieve our mission, we also recognize that we often need the insight of colleagues at other research institutions to maximize the impact of our research.

Diverse perspectives and shared resources make it possible for us to attain our research objectives more rapidly, and more effectively. With this in mind, we engage in several types of partnerships.

For example, we provide collaborators with access to many of LLNL’s experimental and computational resources, such as the high-intensity laser platforms at the Jupiter Laser Facility, and the Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (CAMS), where scientists conduct ultra-sensitive isotope ratio measurements. Collaborations also make it possible for our staff and postdocs to conduct research at other Department of Energy-sponsored facilities, including x-ray beamlines, x-ray free-electron lasers, magnetic fusion research facilities, and the new Facility for Rare Isotope Beams at Michigan State University.

Our researchers also participate in (and often lead) multi-institutional research projects. For example:

• Our climate science experts lead inter-agency initiatives aimed at increasing access to climate models and research data.
• We leverage our optical imaging expertise in our collaborations with NASA scientists to develop instruments used on space missions.
• Our bioscientists lead multi-institutional research projects aimed at developing new types of vaccines and vaccine delivery options.

We also partner with industry to adapt technology created at LLNL so it can more effectively address our national security and global stability missions. From technology that enables early detection of pathogens, to ultra-thin polymer films that can be used for catalysis or filtration, our industry partnerships help ensure that LLNL’s scientific discoveries can help grow our nation’s economy.

Perhaps the most exciting impact of our collaborations involves partnering with academic institutions to help them achieve their educational goals for their students. The cornerstone of these student-focused efforts is our internship programs, which help ensure that tomorrow’s innovators are ready to tackle increasingly complex scientific challenges. For example, during summer 2023, our directorate will host more than 180 student interns, who will participate in physical and life sciences research at LLNL.

Learn more about the ways we collaborate with other institutions and how those partnerships prepare tomorrow’s workforce and accelerate innovation.

– Glenn Fox, PLS Principal Associate Director