Meet LLNL: Mechanical Engineer David Lewis

David Lewis is a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community. He came out at the age of 28 after growing up attending The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“The best way I can describe how I felt growing up is like the Book of Mormon Broadway musical,” he said.

“In the musical, actors talk about when you have thoughts and feelings that you’re not supposed to have, they turn it off like a light switch. It’s an entire song and dance routine but it is very accurate. And so, for most of my life, I kind of had that light switch turned off. It wasn’t until 10 years ago this year, that I decided to come out finally.”

As a young adult, Lewis served for two years in Brazil as a missionary. He graduated from Bringham Young University-Idaho (BYU-I) with a bachelor’s degree  in engineering and a minor in physics. While he was not out while attending BYU-I, he ironically met his husband there a few years after he graduated.

For most of his young adulthood, Lewis felt like he couldn’t be himself. However, with the support of his family, a moving, “It Gets Better,” video from the Understanding Same Gender Attraction group at BYU Provo, and his partner, he was able to accept himself. “Everyone has their own process, but for me, this helped me reconcile in my mind who I was, and that was kind of the initiating process for me,” he said.

Lewis said that while he was already partially out during his early career years in Idaho, he sought out new opportunities where he and his husband could live in color and vibrancy.

Before joining Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in January 2016, Lewis worked at Idaho National Laboratory for four years at a nuclear research reactor. Looking to change things up with his career, he and his husband eventually made the leap to the West Coast. He applied to a LLNL job posting for an engineer to support a nuclear materials program. Lewis said he found LLNL to have a welcoming and inclusive environment.

“It’s been a great experience finding community here,”  he said. “My husband and I felt at home right away.” 

Soon after arriving and starting at LLNL in 2016, he and his husband made a trip back to Idaho to get married later that same year.

Today, Lewis is one of the longest standing members of his LLNL engineering team, known as the Nuclear Materials Engineering group. As a mechanical engineering and project manager, Lewis helps guide day-to-day activities of team members. He contributes to engineering design, research and installation for new equipment that is then used for plutonium research for various programs and projects at the Lab.

“What I like most about my job is that I get to see projects from cradle to grave,” he said. “Scientists come to us with their ideas, and I get to help bring it to reality. I get to say that I physically made something happen. When you combine that with a supportive team and culture, it equips you to thrive in your role.”

Outside of the Lab, Lewis is an avid fan of rockets and video games. He creates scale rocket models through 3D printing and is a big NASA and SpaceX fan.

“I don’t have a degree in aeronautical engineering, but I can be a fan,” he said. “I choose to be a fan of all the fascinating things happening with space.”

When it comes to video games, he enjoys playing Nintendo and Xbox. Lewis also enjoys hiking and cycling, exploring the outdoors whenever possible. Lewis and his husband have lived in Livermore since 2016 and have been married for eight years.