Secondments play a key role in our relationship with national laboratories around the world, enabling us to learn and share best practices, knowledge, and expertise with organisations for scientific discovery.
Lauren joined AWE as an experimental physicist and recently took on a secondment Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory at the end of 2021. Now, one year on, she tells us about her experience so far.
From PhD to the UK’s top high energy laser facility
I joined AWE a decade ago, after completing a PhD in plasma physics at the University of York, where I used high power laser facilities in the UK and abroad. Looking back, my career path has been pretty much a straight line for an experimental physicist, but that hasn’t meant I haven’t had plenty of interesting opportunities along the way. My PhD prepared me well for the challenges of the Orion laser, based at AWE. From there I was able to contribute to the design and implementation of our programmatic high energy density studies.
Plasma physics leads to an adventure of secondment
I sit in the Plasma Physics and Materials Physics Groups. I’ve always been keen to broaden my skills and experience and have previously taken on internal secondments. Most recently I took a secondment at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), a research facility in Livermore, California, which has a mission of strengthening the United States’ security through development and application of world-class science and technology. I work with our collaborators at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) – a large laser-based inertial confinement fusion research device – to learn and exchange ideas.
Why are secondments important for AWE’s work?
Having ears on the ground allows us to find out about new and emerging projects, many of which are equally beneficial to AWE programmes. With so many of these visits being cancelled during the pandemic, the importance of secondments has never been clearer. We have strong ties to the LLNL high energy density programmes through previous experimental collaborations and conferences – and I now work with many of these established contacts on a daily basis. We’ve always known the value of Joint Working Groups (JOWOGs) between the US and the UK, where the ongoing commitment to collaborate allows scientists to exchange ideas and results – secondments are no different.
How has your experience at AWE prepared you to work at NIF?
Much of my training was done remotely, prior to starting at LLNL, so I was able to hit the ground running in taking over from my predecessor. Working on AWE’s Orion laser also helped to equip me with the skills that I needed for the NIF.
The NIF allows scientists to precisely guide, amplify, reflect, and focus 192 powerful laser beams into a target. It is a very valuable tool to understand phenomena that contribute to nuclear safety. The majority of my work at the lab involves designing, leading and analysing these experiments. I have now led 20 laser shots on the NIF with at least 15 planned for the next year. Each brings its own challenges as we push the programme further.
What were some highlights of your secondment?
The range and scope of the work being done at LLNL is vast, and I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface in my host area alone! For me, the highlight has been finding out about potential new collaborations. Learning about new aspects of what they do here, that I can relate back to the work at AWE. It was also so great to catch-up with many of the scientists that I hadn’t had the opportunity of meeting with over the past two years. The process of starting my secondment might have been more challenging due to the pandemic, but that hasn’t taken away from the highlights at all!
What advice would you tell people who are thinking about joining AWE?
Working at AWE has given me many opportunities to challenge myself and grow my career. The secondment programme is a highlight – not only to contribute to the UK’s defence programme, but also to work collaboratively with high energy experimental facilities across the world. Anyone thinking of joining the team should consider it – it’s a fantastic opportunity to expand your experience, trying out a new field of work and picking up a different perspective, that will ultimately benefit both yourself and your home programme.