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Postdocs
Malik Wagih’s global exploration of material defects
Malik Wagih is a 2024 Lawrence Fellow in the Physical and Life Sciences Directorate’s Materials Science Division at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), where he studies defects in metals. His journey to materials science research at Livermore has taken him across the country and the world. Wagih is originally from Cairo, Egypt, where he enjoyed playing soccer…
Plasma pursuits: HEDS Center fellows illuminate the fourth state of matter
In 2019, the High Energy Density Science (HEDS) Center at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) launched its postdoctoral fellowship program, welcoming one new scientist annually to come and conduct research for a two-year term. Supported by LLNL’s Weapons Physics and Design program, HEDS fellows are encouraged to pursue their own research agenda as it relates to…
LLNL wins big at 2024 Bay Area Research SLAM
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) 2024 postdoctoral team of Nicholas Cross, Caspar Donnison and Jillian McCool competed against their Bay Area colleagues at the fourth annual Bay Area Research SLAM (BARS) on Oct. 3. LLNL was the biggest winner of the evening: Donnison’s third-place finish for “Agriculture and Solar Power: An Unlikely Alliance” and Cross’s…
Postdocs shine at 2024 LLNL Research SLAM!
Gathered in a Laboratory auditorium on Wednesday, Sept. 25, a dozen Livermore postdocs used three minutes and a single slide to answer the question “Why is my research important?” Lab trivia, guest appearances from previous Research SLAM! winners and thematic walk-up music for each of the finalists added to the festive atmosphere of the live event. Talks were judged using…
Lab scientist wins DOE Howes Scholar award for work in computational science
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) postdoc Kyle Bushick has garnered the 2024 Frederick A. Howes Scholar award for technical excellence, leadership and character in his innovative use of atomistic simulations to understand quantum processes and as a champion of inclusivity and community building. “Learning I was selected as a Howes Scholar was an enormous honor…
Lab scientist wins Springer Thesis Award for work in neutrino research
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) postdoc Sam Hedges has won a 2024 Springer Thesis Award for his work in searching for the elusive neutrino. “I’m honored that my thesis was nominated for this award, and was excited when I found out it had won,” Hedges said. His thesis, “Low Energy Neutrino-Nucleus Interactions at the Spallation Neutron Source," highlights the…
Five Lab postdocs will attend 73rd annual Lindau Nobel Laureate meetings
Getting the chance to meet and mingle with scientists who have achieved Nobel Prize winning greatness will be the reality for five Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) postdoctoral appointees selected to attend the 73rd annual Lindau Nobel Laureate meetings. Tina Ebert, Elizabeth Grace and Raspberry Simpson were selected as the 2024 LLNL cohort; Tomi Akindele and…
Supercomputer simulations of super-diamond suggest a path to its creation
Diamond is the strongest material known. However, another form of carbon has been predicted to be even tougher than diamond. The challenge is how to create it on Earth. The eight-atom body-centered cubic (BC8) crystal is a distinct carbon phase: not diamond, but very similar. BC8 is predicted to be a stronger material, exhibiting a 30% greater resistance to compression…
Inaugural National Lab Research SLAM showcases early-career researchers
Gathered in the Congressional Auditorium on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 17 early-career researchers used three minutes and a single slide to present their pioneering research during the inaugural National Lab Research SLAM. Representing each of the 17 Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories, finalists presented in four research categories: Energy Security, National…
'Twisted' laser light experiments offer new insights into plasma physics
Electromagnetic vortices occur naturally throughout the universe and have recently been observed in association with black holes. Over the last decade, scientists have sought methods to investigate how extremely strong electromagnetic vortices interact with matter, specifically plasma, in a laboratory setting. Plasma, known as the “fourth state of matter,” makes up nearly…
PLS postdocs to compete in the 2022 Bay Area Research Slam
On September 20, LLNL hosted its annual Postdoc Research Slam. This Lab-wide competition encourages postdocs to showcase their research in a three-minute presentation that answers the question, “Why is my research important?” The event gives postdocs the opportunity to improve their communication and speaking skills and challenges them to articulate their research in an…
Research reveals where carbon storage in soils has the most potential
Soil is the largest terrestrial reservoir of organic carbon and is central for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Mineral-organic associations play a critical role in soil carbon preservation, but the global capacity for storage in this form has never been quantified. New research from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and an international team of…
PLS postdocs battle it out at the 2021 Research Slam!
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL’s) fifth annual Research Slam! took place virtually on October 6th and featured 14 LLNL postdocs, 9 of which represented the Physical and Life Sciences Directorate (PLS). Over 300 people logged on to attend the live two-hour event, enthusiastically cheering for their favorite postdocs in the comment section. Each finalist was…
Lawrence Livermore Research Slam! winners advance to Bay Area competition
The top winners of the recent Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Research Slam!, a speaking competition for postdocs, will advance to the Bay Area Research SLAM set for Thursday, Oct. 28. The Bay Area Research SLAM! is a collaboration between the Bay Area’s national labs (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, LLNL, Sandia National Laboratories and SLAC National…
PLS postdocs shine at Research Slam! competition
On October 29, 2019, twelve Lawrence Livermore postdocs took to the stage, each with three slides and three minutes to answer the question: “Why is your research important?” The presentations, part of a yearly competition known as the Research Slam!, were a culmination of months of development, training, and practice. The 2019 program kicked off with seminars about…
Introducing Ryan Sacks
Editor's Note: This is one in a series of articles highlighting the diverse group of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory postdocs.The postdoc program at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory provides opportunities for postdocs to conduct world-class research in an exciting, diverse and often interdisciplinary environment. Postdocs at the Laboratory are involved in…
Postdocs shine at Laboratory 'Research Slam!'
The Laboratory is home to a workforce of world-class scientific talent, a pool that includes a population of 229 postdoctoral researchers, who are a critical component in executing the Lab’s mission. To showcase their diverse projects and to provide an opportunity for them to hone their presentation skills, Laboratory postdocs were invited to participate in Research Slam!…
LLNL/Las Positas College 'Science and Engineering Seminar Series' launches new season
Nicholas Be, postdoctoral research scientist in the Biosciences and Biotechnology Division at LLNL, will present " Combating Infections: Fighting to Heal Wounds from the Battlefield," on Tuesday, Oct. 8, from 6-7:15 p.m. at Las Positas College. The presentation is provided in partnership by LLNL and Las Positas College as part of the "Science and Engineering Seminar Series…
Postdoc to continue micrometeorite research through Marie Curie Fellowship
If you don't believe that good things come in small packages, talk to Penny Wozniakiewicz who studies micrometeorites -- the tiny extraterrestrial dust sized particles that could hold the key to the origins of our solar system. Wozniakiewicz , a postdoc who has been working in the Lab's Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, was recently awarded the prestigious…
Former Lab postdoc receives AFOSR award
Kramer Akli has been named one of the recipients of the 2012 Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR ) Young Investigator award. Akli completed his original thesis work at LLNL as a graduate student at the University of California, Davis. While at LLNL, he was supported through a Student Employee Graduate Fellowship awarded by the Lab. Upon graduation, Akli…
