Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory



Jaisree Iyer

Pronouns: she/her

Chemical Engineer

Atmospheric, Earth, and Energy Division

December 16, 2020

What do you like about working at the Lab?

In my six years at the lab, I have had the opportunity to contribute to projects on a variety of subjects. This keeps the work intellectually engaging. I also like the people I work with, they are collegial, talented, and a pleasure to collaborate with.

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

My primary role on projects is to develop models for processes that have fluid flow and reactions. I spend significant time deriving equations that describe reactive transport processes, writing code to numerically solve the equations, and comparing my model results with experimental data. Another important part of my work is to prepare materials to effectively communicate my findings to team members, sponsors, and the broader research community.

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

I have had the opportunity to be involved with the National Risk Assessment Partnership since I joined the Lab in 2015. It is a partnership between five national labs with the aim of quantifying and managing the risks associated with geological CO2 storage, an important tool to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We hope that the work will facilitate large-scale deployment of this technology to help mitigate climate change.

What is your educational or career background?

I am a chemical engineer by training. I completed my undergraduate degree at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay and received my PhD from MIT. I worked at the Schlumberger Doll Research center in Cambridge, MA before joining the Lab as a postdoctoral scholar. I have now been at the Lab for 6 years.

What inspired you to go into science?

It was part interest and part circumstances. Math and science were my favorite subjects in school. During my undergraduate days in India, exam scores had a significant bearing on the undergraduate program one could pursue, which was also the case for me and how I majored in chemical engineering. I enjoyed the curriculum and decided to pursue my graduate education in the same field.

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

Try to network with people and make others aware of your work using avenues like seminar series, poster symposiums, etc. Interesting opportunities arise as you learn more about the various activities going on around the Lab.

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

A whole assortment of things: making models out of clay, painting, playing tennis, playing board games, and traveling.

Learn more about Jaisree:
Biography