Five Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) postdoctoral researchers have been selected to participate in the prestigious 2025 Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings. Ian Colliard, Nicholas Cross, Caspar Donnison, Vidia Gokool and Jonas Kaufman will join young scientists from around the world to learn from Nobel Prize laureates through academic panels, lectures, group travel, science walks and networking opportunities.
The Lindau meetings, alternating annually between disciplines of physics, chemistry and physiology/medicine, provide a unique forum for cross-generational and cross-cultural scientific exchange. Every three years, an additional Lindau Nobel Meeting in Economic Sciences convenes young economists and laureates in the field. Colliard, Cross, Gokool and Kaufman will attend the 74th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in Chemistry from June 29-July 4, 2025, while Donnison will attend the 8th Lindau Nobel Meeting in Economic Sciences from August 26-30, 2025.
Ian Colliard
Colliard began his postdoctoral position at LLNL in August 2022 in the Physical and Life Sciences (PLS) directorate. His research explores the structural and spectroscopic characterization of lanthanide and actinide polyoxometalate complexes, investigating how variations in counterions, structure and electronic environments affect optical properties.
"I'm looking forward to the opportunity to interact closely with Nobel Laureates and other young scientists from around the world," Colliard said. "I am eager to gain new perspectives on scientific challenges, share my research, and build international collaborations that could inspire the next stages of my career."
His work aligns with LLNL's national security mission through advancing nuclear forensics and actinide science. "Understanding the chemistry and physics of f-elements like curium is vital to national security and nuclear stewardship," he explained.
Nicholas Cross
Cross joined LLNL in May 2023 as a postdoctoral research staff member in the Computational Engineering Division. His research involves numerical modeling of technologies for climate security, such as batteries and systems for carbon capture and carbon conversion, at both the device and system level.
"I am looking forward to how we can deepen our understanding of fundamental physics and chemistry and increase the connection to applied systems where those fundamental mechanisms manifest themselves and impact human lives," Cross said.
His work on climate security supports LLNL's mission by helping decrease greenhouse gas emissions and removing them from the atmosphere. "In turn, this will reduce the number of natural disasters like wildfires and hurricanes and allow us to keep living and growing our food where we currently do," he explained.
When news of his selection arrived, Cross recalled his excitement: "I got the selection email right before an appointment to donate blood at one of the LLESA events. When I got to the building and they took my vitals, my heart rate was WAY too high, so they had to give me a bottle of water and a few minutes to relax before it came down to a regular level and I was able to donate."
Caspar Donnison
Donnison, who joined LLNL in January 2024 as an energy systems postdoctoral researcher in the Atmospheric, Earth and Energy Division, brings an interdisciplinary perspective through his background in environmental economics. His research focuses on bioenergy and carbon dioxide removal, drawing on environmental economics, environmental science, sociology and policy analysis.
"I'm looking forward to the opportunity to speak with other economists on the latest research on addressing environmental challenges," Donnison said. "Economists are a scarce resource at LLNL, and I am looking forward to discovering new ideas, knowledge, and ways of thinking that I can bring back from Lindau to support our research at the Lab."
His work on "agrivoltaics" - the dual-use of land for both solar energy generation and agriculture - supports U.S. food and energy security goals, while his research on bioenergy and forest biomass utilization contributes to wildfire mitigation, water co-benefits and rural energy security in California.
Vidia Gokool
Gokool, who joined LLNL in January 2023 as a postdoctoral researcher, brings her expertise in forensic chemistry. Her current work in the Forensic Science Center includes leading an Exploratory Research Laboratory Directed Research and Development project investigating illegal pesticides in California, working with local agencies to analyze seized materials from illicit cannabis grow sites.
"The format of the conference is meant to encourage collaborative discussion and relationship building, and that is what I am most excited to take part in," Gokool said. "I am very excited to hear from experts across the many subdivisions of chemistry. The diversity in backgrounds of study and regional approaches to issues will surely generate new ideas and creative discussion."
Her work at the Forensic Science Center supports LLNL's security mission by maintaining capabilities for the U.S. to analyze samples in support of Chemical Weapons Convention treaty compliance.
Jonas Kaufman
Kaufman, who joined LLNL in August 2022, works as a postdoctoral researcher in the Scientific Computing Group in the Center for Applied Scientific Computing, primarily matrixed to the Quantum Simulations Group in PLS and the Materials Science Division. His research focuses on understanding materials degradation in electrolyzer cells for hydrogen production using atomistic modeling. He also contributes to method development for Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations.
"I greatly look forward to meeting the Nobel laureates in an informal setting, particularly to discuss the evolving role of computation in chemistry," Kaufman said. "Learning from both them and my fellow young scientists will certainly provide valuable new perspectives and research ideas."
Kaufman was initially attracted to LLNL during a summer research practicum in 2019 as a Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellow. "I appreciated the highly collaborative, interdisciplinary research environment at the Lab and people's enthusiasm for taking on difficult scientific problems," he noted.
All five researchers will attend the Lindau meetings with support from the University of California President's 2025 Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings Fellows Program. Click here
