Announcing the selection, Laboratory Associate Director for Strategic Research Terry Wallace said, "In addition to his significant chemistry research experience, Vahid brings to this position extensive experience in working with universities and governmental agencies. From his most recent position with the United States Department of Justice, he brings an awareness of not only the nation's current national security research needs, but a deep understanding of the importance of the Laboratory's relationship with its stakeholders as well."
Majidi comes back to Laboratory after serving two years as the Chief Science Advisor to the United States Department of Justice. Prior to that, he was the group leader of the Laboratory's Actinide Analytical Chemistry Group and the Analytical Chemistry Sciences Group. Majidi came to Los Alamos in 1997 from the University of Kentucky, where he was an associate professor in the Chemistry Department for nearly a decade. During that time he was also a visiting scientist at the US Department of Agriculture. Majidi received his bachelor's degree from Eastern Michigan University in 1983 and his doctoral degree from Wayne State University in 1987. In addition to a long history of service to the Society for Applied Spectroscopy, Majidi has served on a number of editorial boards and is currently on the Board of Directors of the International Forensic Research Institute.
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 the Washington Division of URS 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.