National Labs

In addition to the many, longstanding individual collaborations maintained by our researchers with National Lab scientists, the Office of Research is working with leadership of four National Labs to foster research collaborations and broaden opportunities for student engagement.  Mechanisms of engagement include the Laboratory Directed Research & Development (“LDRD”) awards, co-hosted workshops and symposia,

Common themes include:

  • Graduate student & postdoctoral mobility.
  • Cross-promotion of and involvement in events such as seminars and colloquia.
  • Importance of diversity, equity, & inclusion in the STEM pipeline for training the next generation of scientists.

Calendar of upcoming events and opportunities for engagement coming soon

UC National Laboratory Fees Research Program (LFRP)

Research Advancing Microelectronics
January 19, 2024 (Livermore, CA) / January 30, 2024 (San Diego, CA), 2024 
Organized by UC Davis, UC Berkeley, UC Los Angeles, UC Riverside, UC San Diego, Los Alamos National Lab, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Lawrence Livermore National Lab

The UC National Laboratory Fees Research Program (LFRP) designed a workshop series to advance innovative research and strengthen collaborations between the University of California (UC) and the (UC-affiliated) National Laboratories.  In doing so, institutional representatives and experts articulated a roadmap for advancing the field and to establish a foundation for future partnered research across the UC campuses.

Two workshops were jointly led by UC and National Laboratory teams and were open to faculty, research scientists, and postdoctoral fellows from all UC locations, including the ten campuses, and Los Alamos, Lawrence Livermore, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories.  Meetings were hosted at the University of California Livermore Collaboration Center and the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (CALIT2) Qualcomm Institute on the UC San Diego campus. 

Workshops were structured to provide networking opportunities to foster new partnerships between UC and UC National Laboratory researchers.  Sessions included keynote presentations, tours and working group break-out sessions to identify areas in which the UC National Laboratory collaborations are advantageous and ground-breaking.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL)

We maintain ongoing close collaboration with the office of the Deputy Director for Research (LBNL) to investigate alignment in six scientific areas: 1) biological sciences; 2) computing sciences; 3) earth & environmental sciences; 4) energy technologies; 5) energy, nano- and nanobiological sciences; and 6) physical sciences.

The Office of Research sponsored two rounds of a special edition of our Interdisciplinary Research Catalyst: Faculty Fellows program to strengthen joint research and graduate student training between UC Davis faculty and LBNL scientists.

Collaborative activities and events:

Sandia National Laboratory

UC Davis is a member of the Sandia Universities Partnership Network (SUPN).

In February 2023, a memorandum of agreement (MOU) was signed to collaborate on research and education related to the future of science and engineering for national security. By advancing the synergies between the institutions, this partnership creates engagement at multiple levels and share strategic objectives that foster mutually beneficial research, develop a sustainable workforce and accelerate technology adoption.

Building from a strong foundation established by the College of Engineering, the UC Davis Office of Research and Sandia National Laboratories have partnered to host an ongoing annual series of joint research symposia bringing together faculty, researchers, postdoctoral scholars, and graduate students with Sandia personnel to explore topics of mutual interest and foster new research collaborations.  Each symposium features scientific sessions and is accompanied by networking opportunities, collaborator panels, and a poster session.  Past topics include climate security; additive manufacturing and design; sensors and detection technologies; and information science, computational science, and trusted AI.

Read more >

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)

Collaboration between LLNL and UCD began in the 1960s with LLNL co-founder Edward Teller, who recognized the need for PhDs and trained scientists. In this spirit, the Department of Applied Science (1963-2011) was founded at UCD as a means to introduce graduate students to research at the lab, and to allow lab staff to complete advanced degree programs.  Since that time, individual PI-to-PI partnerships, undergraduate and graduate student internships, and joint research symposia have flourished.

Read more about the launch of the UC-Livermore Collaboration Center >

Los Alamos National Lab (LANL)

Coming soon

LDRD Programs

Question about National Lab engagement?  Email [email protected].

SIRF Staff Directory