Nevada National Security Site names chief scientist

The Nevada National Security Site has named Dr. Jose O. Sinibaldi as chief scientist and executive leader for the site’s science, technology, research and development programs.

Sinibaldi will cultivate the strategic plan for the site-directed research and development program and coordinate the site’s’ future technical capabilities with Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Sandia National Laboratories.

The security site is in Nye County.

In his role, Sinibaldi will also help build a synergistic vision between the site 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 (Nevada National Security Site) 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 security site’s 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 (National Nuclear Security Administration) mission,” Sinibaldi said. “We want to provide what students cannot get from other companies.”

Sinibaldi previously worked at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory 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.

The Nevada National Security Site is managed and operated by Mission Support and Test Services LLC (MSTS). Mission Support and Test Services is a limited liability company consisting of Honeywell International Inc., Jacobs Engineering Group Inc., and HII Nuclear.

The Nevada National Security Site falls under the jurisdiction of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), an agency within the U.S. Department of Energy.

The site’s operations are government-controlled and contractor-operated and are overseen by Nevada National Security Site’s Nevada Field Office, headquartered in North Las Vegas.