Hector Valdovinos-Uribe

August 14, 2025

What do you like about your job and/or about working at the Lab?

I like that my work is relevant. That I have access to unique facilities such as the accelerators at CAMS or in B194, and that I get to keep learning new things from a broad range of fields in chemistry, physics, engineering, and even geopolitics.

What do your day-to-day work activities include?

Most of my work involves radioisotope production projects. Numerical calculations of production yields, planning of experiments for irradiations of materials and radiochemical separations, data analysis, and writing proposals and articles for publication.

What is one project you’re really proud to have worked on?

The preparation of the most complex and realistic surrogate debris sample to date for a multi-laboratory technical nuclear forensics exercise, for which our team was awarded a PLS FY24 Summer Directorate Award and a Global Security Gold Award in FY24.

What is your educational/career background?

I studied engineering physics at the Monterrey Institute of Technology in Mexico and then earned a master’s and PhD in medical physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After 3.5 years of valuable experience as a medical physicist in a clinical Radiopharmacy in Mexico, I recognized that my interests aligned more closely with research, prompting my decision to transition to a more scientific environment.

What inspired you to go into science/your field of work?

The love for knowledge, especially the fundamental explanations of how nature works. Regarding my field of work, I was inspired by the importance of science and technology in the advancement of society to create better tools and infrastructure to address major challenges.

What advice would you give to a new employee at the Lab?

To keep learning, especially about all the tools that are available here at the Lab. In my case, I had the opportunity to expand my skillset by learning or improving my abilities to design in CAD, 3D-print prototypes, and to code with LabVIEW, Matlab, and Python.

What are your hobbies/what do you do in your free time?

I like to ride my bicycle to work every day and to run more than four miles every weekend. I ran a marathon in 2020 and would like to do it again soon. In my free time I like to watch movies and read books about history, economics, and science. I consider myself a frequent user of the Livermore Public Library.

Are you a member of any employee networking groups?

I signed up for the chess and 3D-printing groups, but I have not been an active participant in them.

How many years have you worked at the Lab?

4

Where are you from?

Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.

Do you support disciplines or programs outside PLS?

Global Security and National Ignition Facility & Photon Science (NIF&PS).