Stanford graduate students Robert Kasse, Natalie Geise and Tim Abate install an X-ray cell for battery research. Image from Beam Line 10-2 at SLAC's Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL).
Jen Hostetler/SLAC
MAKE AN IMPACT
Join our creative, diverse and united workforce of nearly 1,700 employees, including:
Scientists, engineers and technicians;
IT, finance, facilities and infrastructure experts;
Project managers and safety and security professionals;
Administrative, human resources and public relations specialists
and many others, all working together toward our common goal of achieving scientific excellence while maintaining a respectful workplace.
Science careers
Become a part of a community making fundamental discoveries and solving real-world problems through science and innovation at our multi-program lab. As a DOE Office of Science laboratory run by Stanford University, SLAC builds and maintains some of the largest and most complex scientific instruments in the world. Researchers here and around the globe use these machines to push the boundaries of knowledge in materials and energy sciences, chemistry, biology, environmental science, engineering, particle physics, astrophysics and more.
SLAC SSRL Scientist Ritimukta Sarangi
Riti Sarangi, staff scientist for the Structural Molecular Biology Division at SLAC's SSRL synchrotron facility.
Matt Beardsley/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
CXI Detector Installation 43
SLAC employees install the coherent X-ray imaging detector at the Linac Coherent Light Source facility, where scientists use ultrabright X-ray pulses to study biology, materials, chemistry and physics.
Brad Plummer/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
World’s Most Advanced Facilities for Cryo-EM
Research associate Megan Mayer and graduate student Patrick Mitchell load a sample into one of SLAC's new cryogenic electron microscopes at SLAC.
Andy Freeberg / SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Engineering careers
Engineers at SLAC are crucial to the innovation and maintenance of lab infrastructure and instruments. They contribute to the development of large-scale projects, such as the LSST Camera – the world’s largest digital camera for ground-based astronomy – and the billion-dollar LCLS-II X-ray laser upgrade. They design detectors and software solutions to study mysteries big and small, from the origins of the universe to the intricate motions of electrons in materials.
Optical filter
SLAC's LSST team carefully unpack, examine, test and store the r-band filter, the first of six optic filters that will be part of the completed LSST Camera.
Jacqueline Ramseyer Orrell/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
LCLS X-ray Split-and-Delay
SLAC mechanical engineer Hongliang Shi inspects new equipment that splits the LCLS X-ray beam. The underlying granite base keeps the system stable to improve precision.
Andy Freeberg/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
SLAC LCLS-II Crew Members with Cryomodule J1.3-20 Installation
Staff engineer Dominique White, center, talks with project manager Dennis Martinez-Galarce as they work on getting one of the last cryomodules installed for LCLS-II.
Jacqueline Ramseyer Orrell/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Core operations careers
Make an impact with a SLAC career in finance, information technology, communications, facilities & operations, environmental safety and health or human resources, all supporting our visionary science and technology mission.
Angela Anderson interviews SLAC scientists.
Angela Anderson, head of press and publications for SLAC's communications team, interviews two SLAC scientists on transition edge sensors. Traditionally used in dark matter searches and telescopes, these sensors are becoming popular at facilities like SLAC's SSRL synchrotron because of their ability to detect low-energy X-rays.
Dawn Harmer/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Early morning meeting
Crews hold an early morning tailgate meeting before unloading the last cryomodule for the LCLS-II superconducting upgrade. It was built at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and will be used as a spare.
Jacqueline Ramseyer Orrell/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Arrillaga Science Center
One of the work areas inside the Arrillaga Science Center with shared workspaces and labs.
Jacqueline Ramseyer Orrell/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Stanford University benefits
As a SLAC employee you are also a Stanford University employee with benefits including memberships at fitness facilities, Stanford Sweeteners, childcare solutions and college tuition help.
Childcare Solutions Pilot Program
In partnership with Bright Angel Montessori Academy, SLAC offers discounted subsidies to eligible individuals in addition to Stanford childcare benefits available to all Stanford employees.
Our values
SLAC staff live by our shared values of excellence, integrity, collaboration, respect and creativity.
Staff engineer
We hold ourselves to the highest standards, continually looking for ways to improve our work, advance our skills and make the best use of our experience and talent. We achieve outstanding results without compromising safety, security or the environment.
Alberto Gamazo/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Meeting
We’re accountable for our actions and for the culture of the lab. We are honest and transparent in our conduct, communication and research practices.
Dawn Harmer/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
2021 Pride
We make everyone feel welcome and respected and encourage all to contribute. We embrace individual differences and welcome the richness and value that they bring to SLAC.
Jacqueline Ramseyer Orrell/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
A day in the life
A behind-the-scenes look at some of the interesting (and surprising) people, jobs and places at the lab. Learn more about what our people do, where they do it, how they got here and what they love about their work.
A day in the life of an extreme matter scientist
Ben Ofori-Okai, a postdoctoral researcher, spends a lot of his time setting up experiments at SLAC’s laser lab (pictured here) and at the Linac Coherent Light Source X-ray laser.
A day in the life of a light engineer
Knowledge of physics and a love of challenges fuel May Ling Ng’s quest for nanometer perfection in the smooth surfaces of mirrors used at SLAC’s X-ray laser.
A day in the life of a SLAC machine maker
At the Machine Shop, Pete Franco crafts beautiful, intricate and precise parts for the lab’s latest scientific tools.
A day in the life of a midnight beam master
In SLAC’s accelerator control room, shift lead Ben Ripman and a team of operators fine-tune X-ray beams for science experiments around the clock.
Apply for an internship or educational program
SLAC offers a variety of internship and mentorship opportunities to help you explore your career interests and succeed in your chosen field. Our internship programs are designed to provide you with stimulating, real-world research experiences.
Sage campers
SAGE campers participate in a leadership activity at Stanford University. The free, week-long camp teaches high school students about careers in STEM.
Jacqueline Ramseyer Orrell/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
2018 Greene scholars
Middle school students observe electrochemical reactions and build aluminum-air batteries during the Greene Scholars Program Summer Science Institute at SLAC.
Angela Anderson/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
PULSE interns
PULSE summer interns Yash Rao and Lindsey Zhang use a stereoscope to observe crystals grown in microbatch wells.
Glenn Roberts Jr./SLAC National Accelerator Laborator
Perspectives and ideas
Our commitment to diversity
We believe in the transformative power of diversity and that great science requires great people with open minds. SLAC unites and empowers all people to realize their full potential as unique individuals and groups, accelerating scientific innovation together.
Employee Resource Groups
Employees from across the lab join together to raise awareness, build community and foster an inclusive culture through Employee Resource Groups (ERGs).
Military Skills Translator
Find resources for development opportunities with the military skills translator. SLAC is committed to celebrating military culture through our Military Community Employee Resource Group, providing education and resources, development opportunities and support to our internal and external military communities.
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory is an Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity Employer and supports diversity in the workplace. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital or family status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or genetic information. All staff at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory must be able to demonstrate the legal right to work in the United States. SLAC is an E-Verify employer.
