SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory | Bold People. Visionary Science. Real Impact.

SLAC’s campus at sunset looking southeast. The Stanford Dish and Interstate 280 in the distance.

SLAC’s research yard in the foreground, with the LINAC stretching 2 miles to the west, and SLAC’s campus on the right.

Aerial view of SLAC’s campus with the LINAC in the foreground leading into the campus. The interstate 280 passes over the LINAC. Stanford campus and Hoover tower can be seen in the distance.

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Aerial view of SSRL (Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource) with SLAC’s campus in the background.

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View of SLAC’s Quad with 600+ employees gathering for a group photo with the Science and User Support Building (left) and Arillaga Science Center (right) in the background

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Bold People
Visionary Science
Real Impact

We explore how the universe works at the biggest, smallest and fastest scales and invent powerful tools used by scientists around the globe. Our research helps solve real-world problems and advances the interests of the nation.

Our story Our people

Visionary Science

Explore our frontier research

X-ray & ultrafast science

Revealing nature’s fastest processes with X-rays, lasers and electrons

Physics of the universe

Studying the particles and forces that knit the cosmos together

Advanced accelerators

Building smaller, faster, more powerful accelerators for all

Science of life

Understanding the machinery of life at its most basic level

New technologies

Inventing new tools for science and society

Energy sciences

Finding clean, sustainable solutions for the world’s energy challenges

WHERE RESEARCH HAPPENS

Facilities & centers

At our large-scale facilities and specialized centers, scientists take advantage of powerful tools and unique expertise and collaborate with each other across a wide range of disciplines. Working together is what makes science tick.

Scientific facilities Joint institutes & centers

Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) at sunset — SLAC’s Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) provides extremely bright X-rays that scientists use in a wide range of research to probe matter on the scale of atoms and molecules.

The linac with Interstate 280 bridge and Stanford University in the distance. — The Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), the world’s first hard X-ray free-electron laser, allows researchers to make stop-action movies of chemistry in action and explore proteins for new pharmaceuticals.

FACET-II provides high-energy electron beams for researching revolutionary particle accelerator technologies that could make future accelerators 100 to 1,000 times smaller and a lot more capable.

The Stanford-SLAC cryo-EM facility gives scientists unprecedented views of the inner workings of the cell and of technologies like batteries and solar cells. — The Stanford-SLAC Cryo-EM center gives scientists unprecedented views of the inner workings of the cell and of technologies like batteries and solar cells.

MEET OUR TEAMS

SLAC people

To achieve our ambitious goals and keep SLAC a great place to work, the lab needs a creative, diverse and united workforce – people with a wide variety of experiences, ideas, skills and backgrounds.

Members of the MEC-Upgrade Project tri-lab collaboration on the roof patio of LCLS. — Members of the MEC Upgrade Project tri-lab collaboration on the roof patio of LCLS.

SLAC employees participated in the first campus pride parade, 2022. — SLAC employees participated in the first onsite Pride Parade on June 29, 2022.

Anna Rosa Ziefuss, Chris Crissman, Dr. Siegfried Glenzer, Griffin Glenn, and Zhijiang Chen at LCLS's laser lab. — Anna Rosa Ziefuss, Chris Crissman, Dr. Siegfried Glenzer, Griffin Glenn, and Zhijiang Chen at the HEDS (High Energy Density Science) Sector 10 Laser Lab.

Jeney Wierman of SLAC’s Structural Molecular Biology team — Jeney Wierman stands in the control room of SSRL. She, along with other members of the Structural Molecular Biology team, supports three beamlines, 12-1, 12-2 and 9-2, which are dedicated to helping research from all over the world, creating 3D atomic-resolution shapes of various SARS-CoV-2 related proteins.

The TMO Control Room 1.1 located in the Near Experimental Hall at LCLS — From left, Project Scientist Dr. Razib Obaid, Staff Scientist Ming-Fu Lin, Associate Scientist Taran Driver and Doctoral Student Erik Isele work in the TMO Control Room 1.1, located in the Near Experimental Hall at LCLS.

Work with us Life at SLAC

LATEST UPDATES

SLAC news center

Press release

It transforms the ability of scientists to explore atomic-scale, ultrafast phenomena that are key to a broad range of applications, from quantum materials to clean energy technologies and medicine.

News Feature

Powerful X-rays generated at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory help researchers shed new light on feather evolution.

This figure shows how protein compositions in feathers change over time and temperature.

News Brief

SSRL's X-ray tools reveal that alcohol groups on a nanodiamond's surface allow one of the world's most valuable materials to bond with one of...

Purple layers surround angular red chunks. These are struck by gold rays, which release white spheres from the purple and red objects.

News Feature

Sebek’s extraordinary career at SSRL includes helping build the facility’s original electron injector back in the 1980s and working on almost all of its...

This photograph shows 2023 Lytle award winner Jim Sebek at work on SSRL's electrical systems.

News Feature

Powerful X-rays generated at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory help researchers shed new light on feather evolution.

News Brief

SSRL's X-ray tools reveal that alcohol groups on a nanodiamond's surface allow one of the world's most valuable materials to bond with one of...

News Feature

Sebek’s extraordinary career at SSRL includes helping build the facility’s original electron injector back in the 1980s and working on almost all of its...

News Feature

Analyzing X-ray movies with computer vision reveals how nanoparticles in a lithium-ion battery electrode work.

Illustration of battery electrode nanoparticles being imaged by X-rays

News Feature

To understand why scientists are excited about detecting a new background, just look to the history of studies of the CMB.

Illustration of galaxies in a Petri dish

News Feature

James’ research on chronic and acute mercury exposure challenges conventional views

News archive Media mentions Media resources

SLAC EVENTS

What’s happening

Upcoming Event

This annual meeting is a unique opportunity to gather together the light source community in a single scientific event that includes numerous presentations in...

Sep 24–29

SLAC has a talented and dedicated staff with an extremely bright future, one that will help solve some of the greatest scientific challenges facing the world today.”
Chi-Chang Kao Former Lab Director