Karl A. van Bibber
2017- Associate Dean for Research, College of Engineering
2012- University of California Berkeley, Professor & Chairman, Nuclear Engineering
Faculty, Nuclear Science Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
2012-2017 Executive Director, Nuclear Science & Security Consortium (DOE Center of
Excellence)
2009-2012 Naval Postgraduate School, Vice President & Dean of Research 1985-2008
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
1985-1991 Senior Physicist, E-Div.
1991-2001 Group Leader for High Energy Physics & Accelerator Technology 1993-99 LLNL Leader,
SLAC-LBNL-LLNL PEP-II B Factory Project
2001-2002 Chief Scientist, Physics & Advanced Technologies
2002-2007 Deputy Director, Laboratory Science and Technology Office 2002-07 Deputy Director
Laboratory Directed R&D Program
2007-2008 Chief Scientist, Physical & Life Sciences Directorate 1980-1985 Stanford
University, Assistant Professor of Physics
1977-1979 Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Postdoctoral Researcher
1977-1978 University of California Berkeley, Lecturer, Dep’t. of Nuclear Engineering
1976-1977 MIT, Instructor, Department of Physics
B.S. Physics MIT (1972)
B.S. Mathematics MIT (1972)
Ph.D. Physics MIT (1976)
Ph.D. Thesis – “Study of the Gamma Deexcitation Following Deep Inelastic Scattering of 16O
with 27Al” (Advisor – Stephen G. Steadman)
Nuclear physics in high energy density plasmas; Axion experiments and dark-matter searches; plasma-based neutron sources and accelerators; antineutrino reactor monitoring.
Nuclear Physics; Particle Physics; Particle Astrophysics; Nuclear Instrumentation; Accelerator Science & Technology
Nuclear Physics Particle Physics Particle Astrophysics
Nuclear Instrumentation
Accelerator Science & Technology
Professional Societies
Fellow, American Physical Society
Fellow, American Association for the Advancement for Science Member, American Nuclear Society
Professional Recognition
Navy Superior Civilian Service Award (2012)
Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2007), “For
distinguished contributions to the field of astrophysics and particle accelerator physics,
particularly for efforts in the dark matter axion search”
“Karl van Bibber Physics Postdoctoral Research Fellowships” endowed at Stanford University
Five endowed 2005 by anonymous industrialist donor
Elected APS Fellow 2001, “For his leadership in an ultra-sensitive search for dark-matter axions,
and the conception of other elegant experiments for detection of the axion”
DOE Deputy Secretary’s Award for the B Factory, on behalf of the LLNL team, (2000)
LLNL S&T Award, with BaBar team for discovery of CP-violation in the B-Meson System (2002) LLNL
Director’s Distinguished Performance Award for the B Factory (1997)
Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship (1982)
Phi Beta Kappa (1972)
HEPAP (2015-2018)
University of Florida, Nuclear Engineering Review Committee (2017)
Chair, University of Illinois, NPRE Department Review Committee (2014)
FESAC Strategic Planning Subcommittee (2014)
Chair, Nuclear & Particles Futures Capability Review, LANL (2014)
Search Committee, LLNL Director (2014)
Member, Board of Directors, John & Fannie Hertz Foundation (2011-2014)
Hertz Foundation Graduate Fellowship Selection Committee (2006–2017)
Member, Board of Directors, US-Singapore Temesek Defence Sciences Institute (2009-2012)
Edward Teller Centennial Symposium, Chair, Organizing Committee (2008)
Executive Committee, Amer. Phys. Soc., CA-NV Section (2008-2011), Chair (2010)
European Commission VIth & VIIth Framework Program Expert Panel (2002-pres)
National Science Foundation review panels, multiple (2000-present)
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Directorate Review Committees, multiple (2012-2014)
Los Alamos National Laboratory, Capability Review Panels, multiple (2002-2014)
Member, Editorial Board, The SLAC Beam Line (1997-2000)
Member, Board of Directors, Wang NMR, Inc. (1997- 2002)
Member, SLAC Users Organization Executive Committee (1990-1993)
Chairman, Executive Committee, LBNL 88” Cyclotron Users Group (1983-1985)
Phi Beta Kappa Executive Council, Stanford Univ. (1983-1985, President 1984-1985)
APS Division of Nuclear Physics Program Committee (1980-1982)
Previous M.S. & Ph.D. students
| Prof. Keith Griffioen | (Ph.D. 1984) | Chair, Department of Physics, College of William & Mary |
| Dr. Peter Countryman | (Ph.D. 1988) | Synarc, San Francisco |
| Dr. S. Darin Kinion | (Ph.D. 2001) | Nucl. & Part. Phys. Div., Lawrence Livermore Nat’l Lab |
| Dr. Cameron Bates | (Ph.D. 2015) | Los Alamos National Laboratory |
| Dr. Lucas Brouwer | (Ph.D. 2015) | Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |
| ENS Austin Lo | (M.S. 2015) | US Navy Nuclear Propulsion Program |
| Mr. Jaben Root | (M.S. 2016) | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory |
| Dr. Patricia Schuster | (Ph.D. 2016) | University of Michigan |
| Dr. David Weisz | (Ph.D. 2016) | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory |
| Dr. Cory Waltz | (Ph.D. 2016) | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory |
| Dr. Alexandra Asghari | (Ph.D. 2016) | Exponent, Inc. |
| Dr. Albert Yuen | (Ph.D. 2016) |
San Francisco startup |
Current doctoral students
Alex Droster
Leona Fan-Chiang
Fumika Isono
Saad Al Kenany
Laurence Lewis
Samantha Lewis
Jonathan Morrell
Nnaemeka Nnamani
Maria Simanovskaia
Mauricio Ayllon Unzueta