Sandia National Laboratories has an expert for you, from computing and artificial intelligence to energy and the environment; from homeland security and military defense to nanotechnology and robotics. To request an interview with one of our experts, call or email the associated Media Relations contact. Experts are based in Albuquerque, N.M., unless otherwise noted.
Tyson Bailey
Cybersecurity computer engineer Tyson Bailey specializes in artificial intelligence, machine learning, distributed ledger technology, embedded systems and software automation. He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from the University of New Mexico and a master’s degree in computer science from Georgia Tech. Bailey leads Sandia’s Machine Learning/Deep Learning conference, which he has co-run for multiple years. He is also active in technical mentoring, knowledge sharing and community engagement.
Contact: Troy Rummler
Loraine Torres-Castro
Chemical engineer Loraine Torres-Castro, Ph.D., has expertise in battery safety and reliability research, focusing on abusive testing conditions for energy storage systems. Her experience includes thermal runaway analysis, battery failure mechanisms and developing diagnostic tools for early detection of faulty cells. She is a member of the Electrochemical Society and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Contact: Kenny Vigil
John Gladden
John Gladden leads Sandia California’s biofuel research programs.
Contact: Michael Langley
Bradley Dickerson
Senior Manager Bradley Dickerson provides expertise in borders and regional security, countering nuclear smuggling, border issues, emerging technologies and export and trade controls. He has experience developing national strategies to prevent, prepare for, respond to, mitigate and recover from an intentional chemical or biological attack or a large-scale natural disease outbreak.
Contact: Luke Frank
Victoria Atencio
Chemical Safety Program Manager Victoria Atencio is a certified industrial hygienist who provides expert oversight to strengthen chemical stewardship and safe handling practices. She ensures Sandia meets all federal, state and DOE requirements to maintain a safe, healthy workplace.
Contact: Luke Frank
Isaac Ekoto
Engine Combustion Manager Isaac Ekoto has worked on diesel engine combustion and hydrogen safety projects at Sandia Labs since 2007. He is the principal investigator of the Gasoline Combustion Fundamentals laboratory, conducting light-duty reciprocating engine ignition and combustion studies.
Contact: Michael Langley
Katrina Wagner
Community Involvement Manager Katrina Wagner has worked at Sandia for 25 years; the last 10 years in employee and corporate giving. She engages employees through donation drives, volunteer projects and educational outreach. Wagner evaluates grant requests for Sandia’s $1.6 million annual corporate contributions to nonprofits focused on family stability and educational success. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communication and journalism from the University of New Mexico.
Contact: Luke Frank
Paul Crozier
Computational Thermal and Fluid Mechanics Manager Paul Crozier specializes in computational thermal fluids, computational simulation and software products, including Sierra, SPARC, Aria and Fuego. He holds a bachelor’s degree and doctorate in chemical engineering.
Contact: Kim Vallez Quintana
High-Performance Computing
Steve Monk
High-Performance Computing Systems Manager Steve Monk has led numerous HPC projects and teams for Sandia and the broader NNSA Advanced Simulation and Computing program. His technical expertise includes HPC computer and storage architectures, data center design, file systems, systems management, procurement and deployment.
Contact: Mollie Rappe
Neuromorphic Computing
Frances Chance
Computer scientist Frances Chance explores how biological neural networks represent, transform and transmit information in the brain. She applies her knowledge of neural systems towards the development of novel neuro-inspired algorithms and brain-based computer architectures to improve the performance of computing systems and other engineered systems.
Contact: Troy Rummler
Quantum Computing
Andrew Landahl
Theoretical physicist and quantum computer scientist Andrew Landahl pioneered foundational protocols in quantum computing that have helped make this nascent technology more stable and reliable. He is a winner of the Department of Energy’s prestigious E.O. Lawrence Award, a research professor at the University of New Mexico and a fellow of the American Physical Society.
Contact: Troy Rummler
Neeta Rattan
Civilian Cyber Solutions Senior Manager Neeta Rattan has expertise in programmatic responsibility for the Department of Homeland Security Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security Agency and Sandia Labs cyber strategy. Her technical background includes software development, reverse engineering and embedded systems understanding, as well as project leadership and government liaison roles.
Contact: Michael Langley
Kelcey Tietjen
Cybersecurity senior scientist Kelcey Tietjen provides 20 years of experience across multiple cybersecurity domains. He has led and contributed to incident response and security operations at Mandiant, Apple and Bechtel, as well as Los Alamos and Sandia national laboratories. Tietjen also brings executive-level expertise having served as chief information security officer and held global operations leadership roles. His current focus is cloud incident response and forensics research.
Contact: Mollie Rappe
Energy Security
Loraine Torres-Castro
Chemical engineer Loraine Torres-Castro, Ph.D., has expertise in battery safety and reliability research, focusing on abusive testing conditions for energy storage systems. Her experience includes thermal runaway analysis, battery failure mechanisms and developing diagnostic tools for early detection of faulty cells. She is a member of the Electrochemical Society and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Contact: Kenny Vigil
Renewable Energy and Smart Grid
Ross Guttromson
Ross Guttromson offers in-depth expertise in electric grid power systems through his extensive research on transmission system planning and expansion, including smart-grid interfaces, advanced operations, stochastic optimization and wide-area stability and control. He is currently researching the effects of high-altitude electromagnetic pulse effects on the electric power system. He holds two patents and has authored numerous publications.
Contact: Kristen Meub
Photovoltaics
Joshua S. Stein
Joshua S. Stein conducts multidisciplinary research on the performance and reliability of photovoltaic energy systems with the aim of breaking barriers for the integration of renewable energy sources onto the nation’s electrical grid.
Contact: Kristen Meub
Mark Zuverink
Environmental scientist Mark A. Zuverink specializes in responding to releases of hazardous materials to the environment, including spill cleanup, environmental media sampling, such as soil, water and air, and regulatory reporting requirements following a hazardous materials incident. He is the project lead for water quality, environmental releases and terrestrial surveillance and has developed and implemented HAZMAT response and field sampling procedures for releases of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear spills at multiple Department of Energy and commercial sites.
Contact: Luke Frank
Tim Wallace
Explosives operations and safety expert Tim Wallace has more than 20 years of experience in engineering and safety roles in logistics, missile and flight systems, and nuclear deterrence. Wallace holds master’s degrees in systems and mechanical engineering and is a graduate of the Naval School Explosives Ordnance Disposal. He also represents Sandia Labs as a member of the Department of Energy Explosives Safety Committee.
Contact: Michael Langley
Bill Whelan
Industrial Hygiene Manager Bill Whelan is an industrial safety and health expert with nearly 40 years of experience in problem recognition and solutions, as well as program development and implementation. Whelan has extensive leadership experience in the electric utility and nuclear power industries, manufacturing, heavy construction, shipbuilding and DOE laboratories. He holds credentials as a Certified Industrial Hygienist and Certified Safety Professional.
Contact: Luke Frank
Dan Sinars
Deputy Chief Research Officer Daniel Sinars has led research in inertial confinement fusion and other high-energy density work with an emphasis on stockpile stewardship, ultimately serving as the director of the Pulsed Power Sciences Center, which includes Sandia’s Z Pulsed Power Facility. His work encompasses laboratory research on extreme states of matter at pressures one million times greater than atmospheric pressure.
Contact: Troy Rummler
Gus Potter
Senior scientist and chief analyst for Sandia’s Center for Global Security and Cooperation, Charles “Gus” Potter, has developed expertise in radioactive source security in his 30-plus year career at Sandia, including health physics in internal radiation dosimetry and emergency response to weapons of mass destruction events. Potter has received multiple awards in health physics, including the Distinguished Scientific Award and Life Membership from the Health Physics Society, where he is currently a director, and distinguished membership from the American Academy of Health Physics, where he is a past president.
Contact: Luke Frank
Henry Romero
Henry Romero, project lead for the Solid Waste Division within the Waste Management and Pollution Prevention Department, has more than 20 years of experience in waste management, including various hazardous waste, pollution prevention and solid waste programs. Romero, a Certified Waste Management Professional, holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from the College of Santa Fe and a master’s degree in science and technology, environmental management, from Arizona State University.
Contact: Luke Frank
Bill Whelan
Industrial Hygiene Manager Bill Whelan is an industrial safety and health expert with nearly 40 years of experience in problem recognition and solutions, as well as program development and implementation. Whelan has extensive leadership experience in the electric utility and nuclear power industries, manufacturing, heavy construction, shipbuilding and DOE laboratories. He holds credentials as a Certified Industrial Hygienist and Certified Safety Professional.
Contact: Luke Frank
Brad L. Boyce
Senior scientist Brad L. Boyce provides expertise in materials science, metallurgy, engineering mechanics and additive manufacturing. Boyce has studied the mechanical behavior of a variety of materials, from biological materials to 3D-printed parts. He is a member of board of trustees for the American Institute for Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers and served as the president of the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society from 2023-2024.
Contact: Mollie Rappe
Jesse Wodin
Photonics & HI Sensors Manager Jesse Wodin offers expertise in micro electromechanical systems, or MEMS, technology, combining miniaturized mechanical and electrical components on a single chip, and leads research and development toward advanced MEMS devices.
Contact: Mollie Rappe
Bishnu Khanal
Chemist, nanoengineer and research and development manager Bishnu P. Khanal is an expert in nanomaterials synthesis, microelectronics fabrication and electronic parts for nuclear deterrence applications. His expertise includes the synthesis and characterization of advanced nanomaterials, microfabrication processes and evaluation of electronic components. Khanal earned his doctorate in chemistry from Rice University and has more than 15 years of experience leading research and development in high-reliability electronics and microelectronics fabrication at Sandia Labs, Intel and Micron Technology.
Contact: Luke Frank
Jason Guldan
Jason Guldan is a manager with expertise in analysis, modeling and electronic security engineering capabilities. He has a broad background in physical security for large federal sites.
Contact: Luke Frank
Kim Butler
Nanobiologist Kim Butler provides expertise in nanomaterials, biosensors and imaging. She studies the interactions of materials at the nano and microscale with bacteria, mammalian cells and plants. Butler also develops nanomaterials for novel sensing, imaging and therapeutic use and investigates these interactions from the subcellular to the organism scale.
Contact: Mollie Rappe
François Leonard
François Leonard specializes in nanoelectronics and nanophotonics, particularly carbon nanotubes, nanowires and metal-organic frameworks, with applications in next-generation electronics and photodetectors.
Contact: Michael Langley
Biological-inspired Nanoscience
George Bachand
George Bachand is a bioengineer who uses expertise in nanoscale processes and knowledge of biology to design and develop biomimetic and bio-inspired nanomaterials and systems. He has used molecular engineering to design and enhance biological nanomachines, integrated biomolecular motors and pumps in nanosystems for autonomous sensing and used synthetic DNA to safely and securely store sensitive information.
Contact: Kristen Meub
Microsystems and Nanodevices
Philip R. Miller
Biomedical engineer Philip Miller is an expert in noninvasive diagnostic methods for medical and environmental characterization. He leads teams that investigate chemical and biological signatures linked to various diseases and develops portable sensing platforms for fielded applications. He collaborates with companies to commercialize Sandia-developed intellectual property and creates new sensor concepts. Miller earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from North Carolina State University and a doctorate in biomedical engineering from the joint department of the University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University.
Contact: Mollie Rappe
Nanomaterials
Bishnu Khanal
Chemist, nanoengineer and research and development manager Bishnu P. Khanal is an expert in nanomaterials synthesis, microelectronics fabrication and electronic parts for nuclear deterrence applications. His expertise includes the synthesis and characterization of advanced nanomaterials, microfabrication processes and evaluation of electronic components. Khanal earned his doctorate in chemistry from Rice University and has more than 15 years of experience leading research and development in high-reliability electronics and microelectronics fabrication at Sandia Labs, Intel and Micron Technology.
Contact: Luke Frank
Brad Boswell
Associate Labs Director for Nuclear Deterrence Modernization & Stockpile Systems Brad Boswell leads Sandia’s work in stewarding the nation’s stockpile systems. Boswell joined Sandia in 2001 and has served in various roles, including senior leadership. He has led delivery of key systems, including the B61-12, W88 ALT 370 and Mk21 Fuze. Boswell holds a bachelor’s degree and a doctorate in mechanical engineering.
Contact: Kenny Vigil
Carl Vanecek
Director of Nuclear Deterrence System Modernization Carl Vanecek specializes in nuclear deterrence, component production, system product realization and weapon quality management systems. He holds mechanical engineering degrees from the University of Florida and the University of New Mexico and has 35 years of experience at Sandia. He is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Contact: Kenny Vigil
Fusion
Daniel Sinars
Deputy Chief Research Officer Daniel Sinars has led research in inertial confinement fusion and other high-energy density work with an emphasis on stockpile stewardship, ultimately serving as the director of the Pulsed Power Sciences center, which includes Sandia’s Z Pulsed Power Facility. His work encompasses laboratory research on extreme states of matter at pressures one million times greater than atmospheric pressure.
Contact: Troy Rummler
High-Energy Density Physics
Chris Seagle
High-Energy Density Material Physics Senior Manager Chris Seagle oversees experimental, operational, theory and modeling work at Sandia’s Z Pulsed Power Facility. He has more than 15 years of specialized experience studying what happens to materials under extreme pressure, developing important national security applications, such as understanding nuclear explosions, along with helping us learn about cosmic events, like how the moon was formed.
Contact: Troy Rummler
Photonics
Igal Brener
Senior scientist Igal Brener specializes in optics, semiconductors, condensed-matter physics, ultrafast lasers, metamaterials, nanophotonics and terahertz science and technology. He has conducted in-depth research in fiber-optical communication, nonlinear optics, semiconductor optoelectronics and nanophotonics. He is also co-leader of the nanophotonics thrust at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, a Department of Energy user facility for nanoscience.
Contact: Troy Rummler
Elizabeth A. Silber
Physicist Elizabeth A. Silber specializes in shock-wave physics, seismoacoustic sensing and high-velocity impact modeling, focusing on advancing observational and modeling approaches for energetic atmospheric and impact-related phenomena, including bolides and spacecraft reentries. She applies shock and impact physics to processes on planetary bodies and their atmospheres and advances methods to detect and characterize entry events, constrain fragmentation and energy deposition, and interpret their geophysical signatures across sensing modalities. Silber holds a doctorate in physics and planetary science and serves on editorial boards for peer-reviewed journals. Media Only.
Contact: Kristen Meub
Neil Claussen
Neil Claussen oversees research developing precise optical and quantum sensors for national security applications, including GPS-denied navigation. His expertise combines perspectives from working as a research scientist at a national laboratory, in industry and for the U.S. Navy. Claussen earned his bachelor’s degree in physics from Wake Forest University and his doctorate in physics from JILA/University of Colorado.
Contact: Troy Rummler
Walen Mickey
Walen Mickey is an expert in radiation safety (health physics) with extensive knowledge of the radiation sources at Sandia National Labs. He holds a B.S. in physics and an M.S. in nuclear engineering. He is a certified health physicist and a past president of the Health Physics Society, Rio Grande Chapter.
Contact: Luke Frank
Dosimetry
Nathan Elliott
Radiation Protection Dosimetry Program Lead Nathan Elliott is an expert in radiation safety health physics with extensive knowledge of radiological exposure assessments utilizing a variety of methods, including evaluation of dosimeter results, in-vivo and invitro measurements and modeling. He holds a bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering technologies and a master’s degree in nuclear engineering/medical physics and is pursuing a doctorate in nuclear engineering/health physics. Elliot is a certified project manager through the Project Management Institute.
Contact: Luke Frank
Jon Salton
Uncrewed Systems & Autonomy Manager Jon Salton provides expertise in mobile robotics, advanced manufacturing and mobile/remote system autonomy. He helped Sandia establish the UAS Aviation Operations Unit for flying small drones and drive the NNSA and DOE establishment of an enterprise-wide unmanned systems research and engineering center. He’s a licensed professional engineer, holds five U.S. patents and has contributed to a variety of professional publications.
Contact: Kim Vallez Quintana
Jason Wheeler
Jason Wheeler, distinguished research and development staff member, is an expert in robotics, exoskeletons, wearable robotics, biomechanics and prosthetics. He holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Stanford University.
Contact: Kim Vallez Quintana
Justin Olmstead
Sandia Historian and global security studies expert Justin Olmstead has authored multiple books, as well as numerous chapters and articles on diplomacy, foreign policy and counterterrorism. He is a founding senior research fellow at the Armed Services Institute in the Center for Military Life, Thomas University; a visiting fellow at the Center for Peace & Security, Coventry University, UK; and an associate editor for the Journal of the Society for Terrorism Research. Olmstead earned his doctorate from the University of Sheffield, England, and is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
Contact: Luke Frank
Yuri King
Sandia Healthcare and Medical Clinic Manager Yuri King has expertise in acute care, emergency medical services, drug testing, pharmacy, radiology, billing and coding at Sandia. King is a registered nurse with a bachelor’s degree in nursing and a master’s degree in business administration.
Contact: Luke Frank
Cassandra “Casey” Hendricks
Cassandra “Casey” Montoya Hendricks has expertise in Sandia wildlife biology, ecology, wildlife damage management and regulatory compliance. She is a Certified Wildlife Biologist through the national chapter of the Wildlife Society with 17 years in the field of wildlife biology.
Contact: Luke Frank
Igal Brener
Senior scientist Igal Brener specializes in optics, semiconductors, condensed-matter physics, ultrafast lasers, metamaterials, nanophotonics and terahertz science and technology. He has conducted in-depth research in fiber-optical communication, nonlinear optics, semiconductor optoelectronics and nanophotonics. He is also co-leader of the nanophotonics thrust at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, a Department of Energy user facility for nanoscience.
Contact: Troy Rummler
Tech Transfer/Economic Development/CRADA (Cooperative Research & Development Agreements)
Jason Martinez
Jason Martinez has executed more than 700 CRADA actions that total more than $50 million in contract value in nearly 13 years of service in technology transfer at Sandia Labs. He holds juris doctor and master’s degrees in business administration.
Contact: Kenny Vigil
Licensing
Joel Sikora
Joel Sikora manages technology partnership agreements, licensing and intellectual property at Sandia. Sikora previously spent 11 years in business development and competitive intelligence in Sandia’s Partnerships group. He established Sandia’s business and competitive intelligence capability, which is now utilized Labs-wide to inform partnering, intellectual property and technology transfer decisions. Before joining Sandia, Sikora was a manager at the University of New Mexico’s Center for Telehealth and a consultant for Accenture. He holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in economics from the University of New Mexico.
Contact: Kim Vallez Quintana
Small Business Procurement
Zach Mikelson
Small Business Program Manager Zach Mikelson provides expertise in small-business procurement. Mikelson earned his bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of New Mexico and serves on the UNM School of Public Administration advisory board.
Contact: Kim Vallez Quintana
Isaac Ekoto
Engine Combustion Manager Isaac Ekoto has worked on diesel engine combustion and hydrogen safety projects at Sandia Labs since 2007. He is the principal investigator of the Gasoline Combustion Fundamentals laboratory, conducting light-duty reciprocating engine ignition and combustion studies.
Contact: Michael Langley
General Inquiries
For general media inquiries, contact Sandia’s News Media Help Line at 505-844-4902.