OUR RESEARCH

Narek Gharibyan is a deputy group leader for the Laboratory’s Nuclear and Radiochemistry Group. He supports experimental nuclear science at the National Ignition Facility, where he collaborates with colleagues to develop radiochemistry diagnostic techniques for analyzing samples collected from high-yield laser shots. In addition, he leads/co-leads research projects in pre- and post-detonation nuclear forensics, supporting mission-relevant aims across the national security complex. 

Narek also led a project funded by LLNL’s Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program, where the research team developed a prototype chemistry-on-a-chip platform for field-deployable nuclear forensics. The device offers scientists an assessment tool for rapidly identifying actinides, or other radioactive elements of interest, from post-detonation nuclear debris.  

Before joining LLNL, Narek performed undergraduate research at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and interned at Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Seaborg Institute. He now enjoys giving back to the nuclear forensics community and has mentored student interns who are part of the Nuclear Forensics Summer Program, hosted by LLNL’s Seaborg Institute.  

Narek holds a Ph.D. in radiochemistry from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a B.S. in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley. 

Nuclear engineer and analytical chemist Ruth Kips travels around the world working with allied nations to advance their nuclear forensic science and capabilities — and counter risks of nuclear smuggling. As the Lab’s associate program lead for nuclear smuggling detection and deterrence, Ruth delivers workshops on the importance of nuclear forensics and collaborates with partner countries on sample analysis.

The workshops are part of the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)’s Global Material Security (GMS) program, aimed at preventing terrorists from acquiring nuclear or radiological material.

“Including nuclear forensics in the GMS portfolio enhances its detection capabilities at border crossings, seaports and airports,” Ruth says. “If nuclear material is found outside of regulatory control, the partner country can determine what the material is and where it came from. Forensics experts can determine what it is, its intended use and the threat level.”

With a master’s degree in nuclear engineering, a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry, several years conducting research in uranium-particle analysis, and a stint at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as an inspector verifying that countries adhere to nuclear nonproliferation treaty commitments, Ruth holds a wealth of experience in each stage of the nuclear fuel cycle.

Wei Jia Ong joined the Laboratory as a Lawrence Fellow — a highly competitive postdoctoral position offered at Livermore. As a scientist in the Nuclear and Chemical Sciences Division, her research interests lie in nuclear astrophysics, particularly the nucleosynthesis of elements in the cosmos as well as nuclear reactions that take place atop or within accreting neutron star crusts. Wei Jia leads a Laboratory Directed Research Development project investigating the weak r-process (rapid neutron-capture process) nucleosynthesis. The project combines nuclear reaction rate measurements, computational modeling and presolar grain isotopic measurements in an interdisciplinary approach to test the viability of neutrino-driven winds in a core-collapse supernova as a source of heavy elements in the cosmos. In addition, Wei Jia is involved in collaborative radioactive beam experiments with scientists from Michigan State University’s new Facility for Rare Isotope Beams and Argonne National Laboratory’s Argonne Tandem Linac Accelerator System.

Wei Jia earned a Ph.D. in physics from Michigan State University and a B.A. in physics from Washington University in St. Louis.

When he was growing up, Nicolas Schunck recalls always wanting to know ‘why’ things are the way they are. He says, “My desire to seek answers and bring a sense of order to the universe has inspired and fueled my scientific career as a theoretical nuclear physicist.”   

Nicolas’s research for the Nuclear and Chemical Sciences Division in the Physical and Life Sciences Directorate focuses on the fundamental mechanisms of nuclear fission and the development of theoretical methods to describe the structure and decay of heavy atomic nuclei. He has more than a decade of experience in high-performance computing applications on leadership-class computers and is active in the development and exploration of machine learning techniques to improve computational nuclear theory. For the last several years, Nicolas has served as principal investigator for the Fission in R-process Elements topical collaboration in nuclear theory, joining with five different institutions to better understand where and how heavy elements are formed in the universe. He has developed both a national and an international network of collaborations. Before joining Livermore as a staff scientist, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Surrey (UK), Universidad Autonoma de Madrid and University of Tennessee.   

Nicolas holds a Ph.D. in theoretical nuclear physics, an M.S. in nuclear physics and a B.S. in physics from the University of Strasbourg (France). 

Quinn Shollenberger analyzes isotopes in meteorites and returned asteroid material to better understand our solar system. She also leverages her expertise in mass spectrometry to conduct mission-critical nuclear forensics research.

She started her journey at LLNL as an intern after earning her bachelor’s degree, diving into exciting cosmochemistry and nuclear forensics research projects. While pursuing a doctoral degree in cosmochemistry at the University of Münster in Germany, she returned to LLNL as a graduate intern. This experience led to a postdoctoral researcher role, and later a staff position at LLNL.

During her time as a postdoc, she received an internal funding award that enabled her to study a tiny sample from the Ryugu asteroid to learn about isotopic reservoirs in our early solar system. Quinn continues to develop and apply new analytical techniques, using sophisticated mass spectrometry instruments to measure a sample’s isotopic composition.

She enjoys working in a highly collaborative, multi-focus research environment, where she can explore big questions, like the formation of our solar system, while applying the same research methods to reduce the threat of smuggled nuclear materials.

For Quinn, the people she gets to work with are a big part of why she likes her job. She’s excited to collaborate with other LLNL cosmochemists and nuclear forensics experts, and she values connections with scientists from other institutions. On-site recreational activities, like lunchtime sand volleyball, also enrich her work environment.

Jingke Xu felt inspired to become a scientist at a young age because he enjoyed pondering problems that may or may not have answers. “As a scientist, every day brings something new — sometimes exciting and sometimes challenging,” he says. “I also try to apply scientific thinking to everyday life, both at the technological level and at the sociological level.” As a father, he enjoys explaining science to a young daughter, who asks, “Why?” dozens of times a day. 

While studying for his doctorate, Jingke worked on the detection of ghostly neutrinos from the Sun and the yet-to-be-discovered dark matter. Now, working as an experimental particle physicist in the Laboratory’s Nuclear and Chemical Sciences Division, Jingke develops new particle detection instruments and pushes existing technologies to their limits. He collaborates with scientists from universities and other national laboratories to hunt for rare particle interaction events. “LLNL provides a wonderful platform for me to pursue not only science but the applications of science,” he says.   

Jingke holds a Ph.D. in particle physics from Princeton University and a B.S. in physics from the University of Science and Technology of China.