Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Director Kim Budil today announced that the 2025 John S. Foster, Jr. Medal is awarded to Michael R. Anastasio, former director of both Lawrence Livermore and Los Alamos national laboratories. The 10th recipient of the prestigious Foster Medal, Anastasio is recognized for his extraordinary career in nuclear weapons science, his leadership across the national laboratories and nuclear security community, and his enduring service to the nation. He will be honored at a ceremony in Livermore this fall.
"Mike Anastasio exemplifies the very best of the national laboratory tradition," Budil said. "He is known for his dedication to service, extensive technical expertise, visionary leadership and lasting commitment to developing new leaders. Mike has made a profound and lasting impact on the nuclear security community and, especially, the national security laboratories. These qualities have shaped not only the stockpile stewardship program but also the culture of teamwork and excellence that underpins our mission. We are proud to recognize him with the Foster Medal."
Leadership across the laboratories
Anastasio is the only person to have ever served as director of both LLNL (2002-2006) and Los Alamos National Laboratory (2006-2011). Over the course of his career, he played a pivotal role in the development and execution of the Stockpile Stewardship Program, ensuring the safety, security and effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear deterrent in the absence of underground nuclear testing.
He began his career as a designer in LLNL's B Division, leading underground experiments that advanced the understanding of primary performance. As division leader and later head of the Weapons Program, Anastasio guided technical options for sustaining the deterrent during the testing moratorium. His leadership helped lay the foundation for a new era of science-based stewardship.
Anastasio was a strong advocate for the concept of Quantification of Margins and Uncertainties (QMU), a methodology that brought a new level of rigor to weapons science. At LLNL, he ensured its application to systems under evaluation, and when he later became director at Los Alamos, he worked tirelessly to instill the same discipline there. His efforts helped establish QMU as the shared language of the physics design community, shaping the way life-extension programs are carried out across the enterprise.
"Mike is known not only for his scientific acumen but for his dedication to the people he led and his steady, principled leadership," Budil said. "He set a standard for leadership that continues to inspire."
In retirement, he has continued his practice of mentoring promising employees at various stages of their careers, who have gone on to strong technical and leadership accomplishments at the laboratories.
Service to national security
In addition to his technical achievements, Anastasio has served as a scientific advisor to the Department of Energy (DOE), providing guidance to senior government officials on crucial national security issues. In retirement, he has remained deeply engaged in national security. He has served on the Defense Science Board, the Strategic Advisory Group of U.S. Strategic Command (where has chaired the Stockpile Assessment Team) and the State Department International Security Advisory Board. He has chaired the Triad National Security LLC Board as well as served on the Board of Governors for Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC.
Further, Anastasio has contributed through service on the Congressional Advisory Panel on the Governance of the Nuclear Security Enterprise and the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Peer Review and Design Competition, extending his impact on the community and the nuclear security enterprise.
His honors include the National Nuclear Security Administration Gold Medal, the Distinguished Alumni Award from Stony Brook University and the DOE Weapons Recognition of Excellence Award for technical leadership in nuclear design, recognizing his outstanding theoretical and experimental contributions to understanding boost physics, an area central to nuclear weapon performance. Anastasio earned a bachelor's degree in physics, with honors, from Johns Hopkins University and an M.A. and Ph.D. in theoretical nuclear physics from Stony Brook University.
Nomination and legacy
The John S. Foster, Jr. Medal, administered by Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC, was established to honor individuals who embody the qualities that distinguished John S. Foster, Jr. throughout his career: a strong national security focus, inspiring leadership, integrity and scientific innovation. The award also recognizes those who foster teamwork and openness in advancing national security science.
Each year, the LLNL director bestows the Foster Medal upon a deserving recipient, who receives a citation, a gold medal bearing Foster's likeness and a $25,000 cash award. Past honorees include leaders in nuclear security, defense policy and arms control whose contributions have strengthened the nation's security and advanced science in the public interest.
