Acknowledging exceptional performance and expertise
Recognition by the scientific community and other stakeholders affirms the high quality of Livermore’s work and innovative spirit. The awards on these pages showcase the efforts of the Laboratory’s talented staff.
Former LLNL Director John H. Nuckolls received the Enrico Fermi Presidential Award for his leadership in inertial confinement fusion (ICF), contributions to national security, and leadership of LLNL. The Fermi Award is one of the oldest and most prestigious science and technology honors bestowed by the U.S. government.
LLNL physicist Hye-Sook Park was honored by the American Nuclear Society with the Edward Teller Award for her pioneering experimental work in high-energy-density physics in areas including materials science, ICF, and astrophysics.
Three LLNL researchers received the prestigious Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). Tomi Akindele, Holly Carlton, and Kelli Humbird were awarded the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on scientists and engineers who are early in their careers and have distinguished themselves in their respective fields. PECASE awardees also have demonstrated public service through educational and community outreach.
Professional Society Accolades
Félicie Albert, physicist and Jupiter Laser Facility director, was elected to serve as vice chair of the American Physical Society (APS) Division of Plasma Physics. In this multiyear leadership commitment, she will chair the division in her third year.
The optics and photonics society SPIE named optical engineer Diana Chen a senior member, for her professional experience, active involvement with the optics community, and significant technical contributions to the field.
David Alessi, chief laser scientist for the Advanced Radiographic Capability at the National Ignition Facility (NIF), was named a senior member of Optica, in recognition of his key contributions to optics research and service to the optics community.
The Materials Research Society selected senior research scientist Aleksandr Noy to be a society fellow for his contributions to the study of nanofluidics and leadership in the bioinspired materials community.
Staff scientist Gauthier Deblonde was named a “Rising Star” by the American Chemical Society for developing new techniques to decipher the chemistry of radioactive elements and study their interaction with the environment.
The APS selected staff scientist Wei Jia Ong to receive the 2025 Freedman Award in Experiment Nuclear Physics for spearheading use of radioactive beams to better understand Type-I X-ray bursts.
Science and Technology Awards
Lori Diachin, LLNL’s Principal Deputy for Computing and former director of DOE’s Exascale Computing Project, was named one of HPCwire’s “35 Legends,” a recognition that celebrates individuals who have left an enduring mark on high-performance computing.
MIT Technology Review named research scientist Xiaoxing Xia as one of its 2025 Innovators Under 35. He is recognized for groundbreaking advances in developing two-photon polymerization 3D printing.
The American Association for Crystal Growth recognized research scientist Luis Zepedia-Ruiz with its Gentile Service Award for long and meritorious service to the crystal growth community.
Nuclear engineer Charles Yeamans and eight LLNL co-authors received the 2024 Nuclear Fusion Award for outstanding work published in the journal. Their paper reported on successful use of NIF to study direct drive of fusion targets.
Physicist Cole Pruitt was honored with the 2025 Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) Achievement Award for Early Career Researchers for his significant contribution to theoretic nuclear physics research in connection with FRIB.
JACS Au, an open-access journal from the American Chemical Society, selected computational material scientist Sichi Li to serve for one year on its Early Career Advisory Board.
Brian Giera was picked as an innovative early-career engineer to participate in The Grainger Foundation Frontiers of Engineering 2025 Symposium of the National Academy of Engineering.
The Scialog: Automating Chemical Laboratories awarded scientist Johanna Schwartz and collaborators $60,000 to pursue automated design of next-generation membranes for fuel cells.
Special Honors
The University of California President’s Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings Fellows Program selected postdoctoral fellows Ian Colliard, Nicholas Cross, Vidia Gokool, Caspar Donnison, and Jonas Kaufman to attend the 73rd annual meeting in Germany. The international scientific forum provides an opportunity for about 600 international students and postdocs to engage with 30 to 40 Nobel laureates.
Physicist Brooke Buddemeier was appointed to the Nuclear and Radiation Studies Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.
Biologist Jennifer Pett-Ridge was inducted into the Alameda County Women’s Hall of Fame for her work on soil ecology, identifying microbiological processes, and the underlying systems biology of plants.
LLNL Director Kim Budil was named to the 2025 Forbes 50 Over 50 list for her innovative leadership of LLNL as a premier national laboratory.
LLNL Deputy Director for S&T Patricia Falcone was presented with the AI Honors in Public Service award, noting her extraordinary leadership in driving research directions at LLNL.
