Contact Us
EIC2@JLab Director:
Douglas Higinbotham
(757) 269-7851
Media Contact:
Lauren Hansen
Communications Manager
(757) 269-7689
lhansen@jlab.org
https://www.jlab.org/pressroom
EIC2@JLab Director:
Douglas Higinbotham
(757) 269-7851
Media Contact:
Lauren Hansen
Communications Manager
(757) 269-7689
lhansen@jlab.org
https://www.jlab.org/pressroom
The Electron-Ion Collider Center at Jefferson Lab (EIC2@JLab) is an organization to advance and promote the science program at a future electron-ion collider (EIC) facility. Particular emphasis is on the close connection of EIC science to the current Jefferson Lab 12 GeV CEBAF science program.
EIC2@JLab consolidates and connects the EIC physics and detector development activities in and around Jefferson Lab. These activities include:
Further, EIC2 coordinates with the following activities:
In addition, EIC2 establishes the following new activities:
The Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab) is located at 12000 Jefferson Avenue in Newport News, Virginia.
The Electron-Ion Collider Center at Jefferson Lab (EIC2@JLab) is an organization to advance and promote the science program at a future electron-ion collider (EIC) facility. Particular emphasis is on the close connection of EIC science to the current Jefferson Lab 12 GeV CEBAF science program.
At the heart of the atom are protons and neutrons. The characteristics and interactions of neutrons and protons, singly and collectively in the nuclei are responsible for how our cosmos developed and how our sun provides the heat that sustains the eco-system on earth.
While we have known for 50 years that protons and neutrons are made of quarks and gluons (represented in the figure to the left as spheres with arrows and springs, respectively), we are just beginning to learn how to image the structure and interactions inside protons and neutrons that are at the femto-scale, a million times smaller than the nano-scale of modern micro-electronics.
Jefferson Lab has been at the forefront of this research; the current 12 GeV CEBAF program at JLab is world-leading in this science. The proposed Electron-Ion Collider will be the ultimate instrument for this new science: nuclear femtography.
More detailed information about the Electron-Ion Collider can be found at the following links:
NEWS:
JLab News: Nuclear Science Advisory Committee Issues Plan for U.S. Nuclear Physics Research
Accelerate your career with a new role at the nation's newest national laboratory. Here you can be part of a team exploring the building blocks of matter and lay the ground work for scientific discoveries that will reshape our understanding of the atomic nucleus. Join a community with a common purpose of solving the most challenging scientific and engineering problems of our time.
A career at Jefferson Lab is more than a job. You will be part of “big science” and work alongside top scientists and engineers from around the world unlocking the secrets of our visible universe. Managed by Jefferson Science Associates, LLC; Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility is entering an exciting period of mission growth and is seeking new team members ready to apply their skills and passion to have an impact. You could call it work, or you could call it a mission. We call it a challenge. We do things that will change the world.
At Jefferson Lab we believe in giving back to our community and encouraging the next generation of scientists and engineers. Our staff reaches out to students to advance awareness and appreciation of the range of research carried out within the DOE national laboratory system, to increase interest in STEM careers for women and minorities, and to encourage everyone to become a part of the next-generation STEM workforce. We are recognized for our innovative programs like:
1,500 students from 15 Title I schools engage in the Becoming Enthusiastic About Math and Science (BEAMS) program at the lab each school year.
60 teachers are enrolled in the Jefferson Science Associates Activities for Teachers (JSAT) program at the lab inspiring 9,000 students annually.
24 high school students have internships and 34 college students have mentorships at the lab.
Streamlining sustainability choices to minimize negative environmental impacts
Energy and sustainability specialist Aubrie Davie has her eye turned to the downstream effects of today’s choices. In her role at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, she has an increasingly visible position spearheading sustainability initiatives aimed at helping the lab minimize its environmental impact.
“We at the lab have to act responsibly,” Davie said, referring to the facility size as well as the carbon footprint of all materials and resources the lab uses.
“In 2022, we ran the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) for 33 weeks, and we used around 205,000 megawatt hours of electricity for the year. By comparison, the average home uses about 10.6 megawatt hours per year. We’re a big facility, and we have to make sure we’re effectively managing resources and looking at what impacts our site has on our community.”
CEBAF is a DOE Office of Science user facility that supports the research of more than 1,800 nuclear physicists worldwide. Each run period for CEBAF is scheduled years in advance, so that nuclear physicists can make the most of the research data they collect.
Material matters
One area that Davie has been particularly attuned to is equipment sourcing. Instead of purchasing new equipment for each experiment, Davie advocates reusing equipment from previous experiments.
“We want to make sure we’re acquiring equipment that is used or that can be reused whenever possible,” she said. “There is a national shift that began with federal organizations about a decade ago and is trickling into the private sector that involves considering the downstream impact of all materials—the embodied carbon footprint. It’s asking about how much impact each part has on the environment and then making choices that minimize that impact.”
To that end, Davie reminds her teammates that where materials come from—and where they end up after they have been used—matters.
“We are constantly looking for ways to minimize what we send to a landfill,” she explains. “The first point of reference for how to manage used equipment is to ask: ‘Is there an option to send this to a facility that can reuse it?’ For this reason, equipment goes back and forth between national labs and university labs.”
When materials cannot be immediately repurposed, the lab may store them for a future project or look for ways to pass equipment through a certified recycling program, so that the materials will continue to have a life cycle.
Equipment trading post
With so much effort being put toward reusing materials, how do facilities communicate what equipment they have and what parts they need? Far from resembling a flea market or searchable catalog, labs largely rely on word-of-mouth to source used equipment.
“It's an intricate network and web that you weave when you are part of the national lab system,” Davie said. “There’s a lot of awareness within the scientific community about what other labs are doing. If there’s an opportunity to reuse equipment within the DOE, the DOE will facilitate that.”
While inter-lab equipment-sharing may rely on word-of-mouth, the lab does have its own internal outpost.
“Within the lab, we use a stock room website where teammates can search for supplies or cast-off equipment they’re not using so that the lab doesn’t have to buy something new if it’s not necessary. This includes things like extra office chairs, extra computer monitors—that sort of thing.”
Legacy unfolding
Each contribution toward being a more sustainable organization has added up to a heap of awards over the last few years.
“We consecutively win the GreenBuy gold level awards sponsored by the Energy.gov Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security. We also have received awards across five product categories within the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) from the Global Electronics Council. This is a recognition that even though we rely on a massive amount of electronic services, like computers, display devices and printers, when we have to purchase new products, we are committed to purchasing products that are made more environmentally conscious,” she explains.
Davie emphasizes that the commitment to sustainability is organization-wide.
“We’re relying on our core values,” she said. “When making decisions that affect the environment, we rely on the bedrock principle of sustainability.”
Outside of work, Davie remains true to her core values, too.
“I believe deeply in what I do because I have a three-year-old daughter, and I’m so passionate about making sure we leave this world in a better place for her,” Davie said. “I care about sustainability on a personal and professional level equally. A lot of what I do when I’m not at work involves looking for ways to be more sustainable.”
Further Reading:
Jefferson Lab: Sustainability
Global Electronics Council Electronics Product Environment Assessment Tool
Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security: GreenBuy Awards
By Carrie Rogers
The Jefferson Lab campus is located in southeastern Virginia amidst a vibrant and growing technology community with deep historical roots that date back to the founding of our nation. Staff members can live on or near the waterways of the Chesapeake Bay region or find peace in the deeply wooded coastal plain. You will have easy access to nearby beaches, mountains, and all major metropolitan centers along the United States east coast.
To learn more about the region and its museums, wineries, parks, zoos and more, visit the Virginia tourism page, Virginia is for Lovers.
To learn more about life at Jefferson Lab, click here.
We support our inventors! The lab provides resources to employees for the development of patented technology -- with over 180 awarded to date! Those looking to obtain patent coverage for their newly developed technologies and inventions while working at the lab are supported and mentored by technology experts, from its discovery to its applied commercialization, including opportunities for monetary awards and royalty sharing. Learn more about our patents and technologies here.
“Every time we solve problems, we contribute. It’s exciting times for new results and discoveries.”
"There is world-class research going on here. Any given day you can be in the room with genius physicists and that’s just amazing.”
"Everybody in the chain is working towards the same goal: to ensure that everything is built safe and to the code specifications"
“Chemistry is the art of science and art; you’re manipulating and creating things. We have lots of different recipes to work with.”
"Not every day is the same day. Working in research and development, it’s not a one person job."
Jefferson Science Associates, LLC manages and operates the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. Jefferson Science Associates/Jefferson Lab is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, or veteran status or on any other basis prohibited by federal, state, or local law.
If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please send an e-mail to recruiting @jlab.org or call (757) 269-7100 between 8 am – 5 pm EST to provide the nature of your request.
JSA is an E-Verify Employer
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A Proud V3-Certified Company
JSA/Jefferson Lab values the skills, experience and expertise veterans can offer due to the myriad of experiences, skill sets and knowledge service members achieve during their years of service. The organization is committed to recruiting, hiring, training and retaining veterans, and its ongoing efforts has earned JSA/Jefferson Lab the Virginia Values Veterans (V3) certification, awarded by the Commonwealth of Virginia.
The Electron-Ion Collider is a proposed machine for delving deeper than ever before into the building blocks of matter, so that we may better understand the matter within us and its role in the universe around us.
APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN For 2024
The EIC Center at Jefferson Lab, EIC2, is pleased to announce opportunities for graduate and post-doctoral fellowships.
These fellowships will be awarded to fund coming to Jefferson Lab to research a special topic. The current areas of research include theory, simulations, detectors, and computing as they relate to the EIC, Positrons or the proposed JLab 22 GeV upgrade. Each fellowship will provide travel to Jefferson Lab, housing and a per diem for a typical stay of ten weeks at the lab.
Eligible students must be enrolled full-time in a relevant doctoral program. Postdocs must have a full-time position with a relevant university or laboratory research program. . The awardees may not concurrently hold another major full-time fellowship or internship. The award is limited to once a year though awardees can reapply for an additional year.
To apply, a research plan must be provided according to the guidance provided below. The plan should be written by the applicant together with their university or laboratory advisor. The plan should contain clear goals and deliverable to be accomplished by the end of the Fellowship visit. Working with a Jefferson Lab staff member is encouraged.
The applications will be evaluated on an ongoing basis according to the following criteria:
The following application will be reviewed on an rolling basis.
The application materials must be sent by email to Patricia Cheeseboro <pcheese@jlab.org>.
Inquiries about the fellowship program should be directed to: Douglas Higinbotham (doug@jlab.org)
Press releases about past winners of the program can be found at the following links: