Sandia National Laboratories

Sandia National Laboratories
Established1949
Research typeNational security, nuclear science
BudgetUS$3.6 billion[1]
DirectorJames S. Peery (January 1, 2020–April 2025)[2][3]
Staff11,500[4]
Students830[4]
LocationAlbuquerque, New Mexico; Livermore, California.
Campus8,699 acres (35.20 km2)
Named after
Sandia Mountains in the Albuquerque metropolitan area
Operating agency
National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia, under the direction of Honeywell International (since May 1, 2017)
Websitesandia.gov

Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), also known as Sandia,[5] is one of three research and development laboratories of the United States Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).[6] Headquartered in Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico, it has a second principal facility next to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California, and a test facility in Waimea, Kauai, Hawaii.[7] Sandia is owned by the U.S. federal government but privately managed and operated by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International.[8][9][10]

Established in 1949, SNL is a "multimission laboratory"[5] with the primary goal of advancing U.S. national security by developing various science-based technologies.[11] Its work spans roughly 70 areas of activity, including nuclear deterrence, arms control, nonproliferation, hazardous waste disposal, and climate change.[12] Sandia hosts a wide variety of research initiatives, including computational biology, physics, materials science, alternative energy, psychology, MEMS, and cognitive science. Most notably, it hosted some of the world's earliest and fastest supercomputers, ASCI Red and ASCI Red Storm, and is currently home to the Z Machine, the largest X-ray generator in the world, which is designed to test materials in conditions of extreme temperature and pressure.

Sandia conducts research through partnership agreements with academic, governmental, and commercial entities;[13] educational opportunities are available through several programs, including the Securing Top Academic Research & Talent at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (START HBCU) Program and the Sandia University Partnerships Network (a collaboration with Purdue University, University of Texas at Austin, Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, and University of New Mexico).[14][15]

  1. ^ "Sandia Facts and Figures". Sandia.gov. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
  2. ^ "Sandia National Laboratories: News Releases : New Sandia Labs Director named". Archived from the original on June 16, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  3. ^ Callaghan, Molly (October 10, 2025). "Sandia Labs director James Peery announces retirement". www.bizjournals.com.
  4. ^ a b "Sandia FAQ". Sandia.gov. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  5. ^ a b "70 Ways Sandia Has Changed The Nation". 70 Ways Sandia has Changed the Nation. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  6. ^ "About Sandia". About Sandia. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  7. ^ "Sandia National Laboratories: Locations: Kauai Test Facility". www.sandia.gov. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  8. ^ "Honeywell Unit Wins $2.6 Billion Contract to Manage Sandia National Laboratories". Wall Street Journal. Associated Press. December 17, 2016.
  9. ^ "NNSA Awards Sandia National Laboratories Management & Operating Contract to National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia (NTESS)".
  10. ^ Michael Coleman; Kevin Robinson-Avila. "Updated: Honeywell selected to manage Sandia labs".
  11. ^ "Fact Sheets". News. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  12. ^ "Sandia National Laboratories: News Releases : Climate Change". Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  13. ^ "Working with Sandia". Working with Sandia. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  14. ^ "SAA Collab Report 2021".
  15. ^ "START HBCU".