The Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) has named Dr. Jose O. Sinibaldi as chief scientist and executive leader for NNSS science, technology, research and development programs.
Sinibaldi will cultivate the strategic plan for the Site-Directed Research and Development program and coordinate the NNSS’ future technical capabilities with Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Sandia National Laboratories. In his role, he will also help build a synergistic vision between the NNSS and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and the University of Nevada, Reno. Additionally, he will serve as a member of the UNLV College of Sciences Advisory Board.
“We want to enhance our existing interactions, including our internship program and K-12 support programs, such as the Tech Trekker, as well as provide guidance for the College of Sciences that aligns with the NNSS mission,” Sinibaldi said.
The approach will be modeled after the U.S. Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Office of Experimental Science’s Stewardship Science Academic Alliances Program, which supports state-of-the-art research at U.S. academic institutions of relevance to the Stockpile Stewardship Program mission. (Stockpile Stewardship is one of the NNSS’ mission programs.)
“We want to connect our staff members with students as mentors with the idea that those students will one day support the NNSA mission,” Sinibaldi said. “We want to provide what students cannot get from other companies.”
Sinibaldi previously worked at LLNL for nine years, leading the development of experimental diagnostics for hydrodynamic implosions and subcritical experiments. Prior to this role, Sinibaldi served as a research faculty member at the Naval Postgraduate School, where he advised 67 graduate students in the areas of experimental shock physics and advanced propulsion systems as applied to research and development projects for the U.S. Department of Defense.
Sinibaldi holds a Ph.D. and a Master of Science degree from the University of Michigan and master’s and bachelor’s degrees in engineering from the Cooper Union. He has published more than 50 peer-reviewed papers and technical reports. He has presented numerous lectures and keynote addresses to various professional and international scientific organizations.