The Los Alamos National Laboratory Medal, instituted in 2001, is the highest honor the Laboratory can bestow on an individual or small group.
A pioneer in many national security programs dealing with the nation's nuclear weapons, Krikorian holds six patents and is the author of myriad analyses and technical assessments that range from laser isotope separation; high-temperature reactor materials; directed-energy nuclear weapons and nuclear weapons testing; and arms control, counter-intelligence and nonproliferation.
Krikorian started work on the Manhattan Project as a chemist at the Union Carbide Research Labs in Niagara Falls, N.Y. in 1943, where he helped produce high-purity uranium. Krik came to the Pajarito Plateau in 1946, where he continued to work on the Manhattan Project. He joined the newly formed laboratory in Los Alamos as a chemist specializing in radiochemistry, inorganic and physical chemistry, high-temperature chemistry and materials science.
Krikorian was a charter member of the first intelligence element at the Laboratory and is considered a national treasure by the intelligence community, as evidenced in 1991 when he was awarded the coveted Intelligence Community Medallion, presented by the Central Intelligence Agency director. The specific contributions surrounding the award are highly classified, but Krikorian's contributions to the nation's understanding of the nuclear programs of our adversaries are crucial, said Nanos.
Krikorian provided the impetus and technical foundations of the country's export-control program, based on his understanding of the nuclear weapons technology. Krikorian, who is fluent in Armenian and has a reading knowledge of Russian, also was on the cutting edge of international dialogue with Russia and was one of the first Americans in 1991 to visit Sarov, the Soviet counterpart to Los Alamos National Laboratory. In 1991, he also visited the Russian nuclear laboratory in Chelyabinsk 70. "Krik demonstrated that national security and international collaboration go hand in hand," said former Laboratory Director Sig Hecker, a colleague of Krikorian's in the groundbreaking dialogue with Russia. "He has brought his immense scientific talents to bear on analyzing foreign science and technology in the spirit of preserving our own security."
Officially retired from the Lab in 1991, Krikorian continues his work as a Laboratory Fellow and Associate and as a mentor to many scientists and researchers.
Krikorian met his wife Katherine "Pat" in 1946 — she came to Los Alamos in 1943 as a member of the Women's Auxiliary Core (WAC). They married in 1948. He credits his wife as being a significant contributor to his successful career in national security. He also acknowledges the encouragement and support of mentors, such as Harold Agnew, Nick Metropolis, Richard Baker and Gian Carlo Rota.
Krikorian joins a small but distinguished list of Los Alamos National Laboratory Medal winners, including the first recipients of the award, Noble Laureate Hans Bethe and former Laboratory Director Harold Agnew. The 2002 medal winners were Laboratory Fellow Louis Rosen and Laboratory Senior Fellow Emeritus George Cowan.
Los Alamos National Laboratory, a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security, is operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC, a team composed of Bechtel National, the University of California, The Babcock & Wilcox Company, and Washington Group International for the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.
Los Alamos enhances national security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, developing technologies to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction, and solving problems related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health, and global security concerns.