Big Ideas Lab podcast explores the postdoc journey at LLNL

What does it mean to be a postdoc at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)? A new episode of “The Big Ideas Lab” explores the postdoctoral journey at LLNL, from the first days at the Lab to the professional growth that follows.

The episode features Ted Baumann, LLNL’s postdoc program lead and a longtime Lab scientist who first joined LLNL as a postdoctoral fellow in 1997. In his role, Baumann helps oversee the postdoc experience and the opportunities that support early-career researchers as they build scientific expertise, publish their work and develop professionally 

“My job as the postdoc program lead is to make sure postdocs are aware of all the resources available to them while they’re here,” said Baumann. “I also make sure that they know that they’re part of a larger community that’s here to support them during their time at the Lab.”

Listeners also hear from Tomi Akindele, who now serves as the Systems Modeling and Evaluations group leader at LLNL. Her work focuses on national security analysis, rare event detection and high-consequence system evaluations. Before stepping into that leadership role in May 2026, Akindele spent eight years at the Lab as a research scientist and postdoctoral researcher in the Rare Event Detection group.

“The goal of the postdoc program is to prepare postdocs for the next stage of their career to become an independent scientist,” said Akindele.

With more than 180 postdocs at LLNL, the program offers a chance to work on publishable research, present at conferences and take advantage of professional development time, brown bags, poster symposiums and community events through the Lawrence Livermore Postdoc Association.

The episode shows how LLNL postdocs gain confidence, independence and a stronger sense of purpose as they grow into the next generation of scientific leaders. Tune in to hear how the postdoc experience helps lay the foundation for what comes next. Listen on Apple or Spotify.

Ready to apply? View available LLNL postdoc positions online.