Caleb Roecker
Staff scientist in the Space Science and Applications group (ISR-1) at LANL
“A journey from 0.5 km underground to 36,000 km above Earth”
4/7/2021
This event was not recorded, however, the presentations slides are available to be viewed here:
Bio: Caleb Roecker is a staff scientist in the Space Science and Applications group (ISR-1) at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). He joined the group in 2016, after earning his Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from University California Berkeley, and has primarily worked for the LANL Space-based Nuclear Detonation Detection (SNDD) program as part of a team that designs, tests, and builds space-based radiation detectors for verifying the exo-atmospheric domain of the Limited Test Ban Treaty (LTBT). His current major roles are as the Principal Investigator for a flash gamma-ray detector and for an experimental charged particle telescope detector.
Abstract: From 0.5 km Underground to 36,000 km Above Earth” aims to provide an overview of Los Alamos National Laboratory’s (LANL) Spaced Based Nuclear Detonation Detection (SNDD) Treaty Monitoring(TM) mission with a focus on how prospective graduate students can find a career in TM. This is conveyed by tracing the background of one former NSSC student from graduate school to LANL Space Research and Applications (ISR-1). Particular emphasis is placed on the skill sets developed in graduate school that ISR-1 prioritizes in potential postdoctoral researchers. These skills are correlated with high-level information on ISR’s radiation detection payloads that support TM missions. Finally the talk concludes with advice for graduate students when interviewing for national security positions that are not represented in graduate school programs.