A Career at a U.S. National Lab—Perspective from a Mid-Career Scientist

I have now worked at the same institution for 13 years - Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, CA, USA - where I now run a research group of ~8 students and postdocs. There are many things I didn't know when I started my journey as a national lab scientist. In this talk, I will cover in detail the ins and outs of my job - aspects like funding, the level of administrative and committee responsibilities, and differences versus my professor and industry research colleagues. Furthermore, I will do my best to clarify that just as not all industry jobs are the same, not all national lab jobs are the same either. I will bring in stories and experiences from other national lab scientists to clarify the breadth of experiences that one might encounter in such a career.