Postdoctoral program

If working on interdisciplinary teams to tackle the most challenging scientific problems appeals to you, then consider joining us as a postdoc. You’ll get hands-on experience while working closely with leading scientific researchers and colleagues—and you will have the opportunity to make significant contributions in areas of national interest.

Our postdoctoral employees in LLNL’s Physical and Life Sciences (PLS) Directorate are talented scientists from across the broad spectrum of physical and biological sciences who work in a highly collaborative environment that places a premium on scientific innovation and publication.

Join a vibrant postdoc community!

• We have between 130 and 150 postdocs at any given time in all disciplines at the Laboratory.
• Postdocs are selected for their scientific expertise, capability, and enthusiasm for working at an institution that places a premium on scientific creativity and innovation.
• Appointments are for one or two years, with a possible third year renewal.
• LLNL provides career development opportunities.

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?”

A Slam Dunk Program for Aspiring Researchers

The postdoctoral research experience is a pivotal one for many scientists. During this time, they dig into the deepest technical details of their disciplines to advance scientific understanding. One challenge postdocs face is aptly communicating their often highly technical research to nonexperts in their field. To help them overcome this challenge, two years ago, the Laboratory’s University Relations and Science Education Office, led by Annie Kersting, launched a friendly competition. Called the Research Slam, the competition invites postdocs to each give a three-minute presentation about their research for a chance to win monetary prizes.

Victory Through Annihilation: Jason Brodsky’s Neutrinos that Saved the Universe

Jason Brodsky says his work is like “looking for a candle in a raging inferno.”

Brodsky’s specialty is rare-event detection, both during his Princeton graduate work on dark matter and his current postdoctoral research at LLNL, in which he searches for what he calls “the neutrinos that saved the universe.”

Pushing Boundaries in Plasma Physics: Michael Campanell Brings His Revolutionary Model to LLNL

When Michael Campanell was a graduate student at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, he noticed something unusual: the boundary physics simulation he was running wasn’t behaving the way it was supposed to. A century of plasma theory predicted one thing, but Campanell’s simulation was doing another. This was the impetus for his thesis, and a big challenge to the status quo in his field. It also propelled him toward a career at LLNL.

Meet Ivy Krystal Jones

Ivy Krystal Jones is a postdoc working in the High Pressure Physics/Physics (Materials Science) Division of the Physical & Life Sciences Directorate.

“I’m working on fabricating functionally graded solid-state laser gain media via direct ink writing and transparent ceramic processing.”

PLS postdocs embrace Research Slam

Picture this: it’s the day of your first poster presentation as a postdoc. You've picked out your best professional suit (or your only professional suit, reserved just for this occasion), your poster has been beautifully printed with help from the Lab's print plant, and your heart is racing with nerves and excitement. Your first interested visitor stops by, quizzically glances at your poster, and asks you for a short synopsis of your research for the non-specialist. How do you reply?

PLS research well represented at poster symposium

The PLS postdoc program offers young scientists the opportunity to collaborate with experienced researchers and make significant contributions in basic and applied research areas of national interest.