LLNL hosts Early Career Information Day focused on advanced materials and manufacturing

The University of California (UC) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have a storied history going back to the founding of the Laboratory in 1952. The work conducted at the Lab since that time has benefited in many areas from successful collaboration with researchers and contributors within the UC system.  

In the spirit of continued collaboration, a UC Early Career Faculty Initiative Information plan was developed to foster long-term academic partnerships and provide UC faculty members with funding and Lab support for their research. Now in its second year, LLNL and UC have continued this partnership and recently hosted an Information Day for select UC faculty members.

Funded by LLNL’s Strategic Deterrence Directorate, the winning recipient will receive up to $1 million in funding over five years to support an innovative research project in the fields of advanced materials and manufacturing.

At this information day, 12 UC faculty members were invited to LLNL in an event held at the UC Livermore Collaboration Center on March 14. Coordinated and led by Eric Duoss, director of the Center for Engineered Materials and Manufacturing; Jeremy Lenhardt, principal lead of the Technology Development for Advanced Materials; Alan Wan, UC Office of the President executive director of National Laboratory Programs and Sean Kauppila, Weapon Technologies & Engineering administrator; these professors interacted with Strategic Deterrence and LLNL leadership members to better understand the LLNL mission, partner with potential LLNL technical principal investigators to support them in preparation of full proposals, and tour the Advanced Manufacturing Laboratory.

LLNL Deputy Director for Science and Technology Pat Falcone and UC National Laboratories Interim Vice President June Yu welcomed participants to the event, lauding the LLNL-UC partnership.

“We are pleased to collaborate with the University of California to develop the next generation of academic leadership with strong and enduring ties to the UC-affiliated national laboratories,” Falcone said.

“This initiative allows the faculty recipient to develop their innovative ideas and advance their research, all while strengthening the technical and research network between LLNL and UC,” Yu said. “Moreover, the info day held in the Livermore Valley Open Campus next to LLNL fosters new and continued connections among a broader set of UC faculty and Lab researchers.”

Sessions at the Information Day covered various topics, including overviews of LLNL's programs in Strategic Deterrence, such as Weapon Simulation and Computing, Weapon Technologies and Engineering, Weapon Physics and Design and Advanced Manufacturing Development.

This call for proposals focused on the fields of advanced materials and manufacturing. Specifically, proposals were aligned with one or more of the following topic areas supported by this years’ initiative:

• Design optimization and process modeling and simulation
• Tailored materials and feedstocks
• Novel advanced manufacturing approaches
• Advanced characterization and qualification and certification methods
• High-throughput research and automation methods

Proposal submissions are due by April 15.

For additional information about the initiative, including eligibility requirements, submission templates, proposal review criteria, timeline and more, visit the LLNL Early Career UC Faculty Initiative website.