UC Irvine establishes new joint appointments with Los Alamos National Laboratory

Professor Luis Jauregui of the UC Irvine Department of Physics & Astronomy recently became a joint appointee in the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Additionally, Michael Pettes, a research scientist at LANL, received a joint appointment as a professional researcher with the UC Irvine Department of Physics & Astronomy. Jauregui, whose lab researches emergent phenomena in quantum materials, is the first Joint Appointee to LANL from UC Irvine's School of Physical Sciences and is one of only roughly 50 joint appointees within LANL’s Joint Appointment Program. And Pettes, who specializes in experimental materials physics research, is the first Joint Appointee from LANL at UC Irvine.

The two appointments will expand the research capacities of both Jauregui and Pettes. “The joint appointment strengthens our collaboration with LANL, creating a more cohesive framework for research initiatives,” said Jauregui. “It also provides UC Irvine students with valuable opportunities to engage with LANL, while allowing us to leverage the resources at CINT and LANL to pursue federal funding opportunities.”

The joint appointments are part of a broader effort to foster the already-strong research collaboration culture between LANL and UC Irvine. The appointments will enable expanded access to research funding opportunities and student mentorship for both Jauregui and Pettes. “I work closely with physics faculty and students at the University of California, Irvine, so this is a natural benefit to my work and career goals – and I am appreciative of the opportunity provided by UCI,” Pettes said. “In addition to being able to draw on the excellent students at UC Irvine which is relevant to our pipeline and workforce development goals, this dual appointment will allow me to formalize support of students through involvement in additional federal agency programs beyond the Department of Energy. I see this as a win-win-win for myself, my organization and the students I am co-mentoring with UCI faculty.”