Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) have signed a joint appointment agreement that will create new research opportunities for university faculty members, students, and national laboratory staff.
"Through joint appointment agreements like this, we are establishing strategic relationships with universities that reflect long-term research objectives aligned to both of our institutions while also growing our ability to bring new talent to PNNL," said Ed Monarez, strategic advisor at PNNL.
The partnership will create opportunities for UTEP faculty members to work at PNNL on joint research priorities, such as cyber operations and cyber security, materials science, applied mathematics, and advanced manufacturing. The partners also will seek to bring more students into the talent pipeline that exists between the two institutions.
"By developing strong research partnerships with institutions and faculty members, we can identify opportunities where our unique expertise and facilities can work together on important science and technology missions," Monarez said. "At the same time, we can provide better internship opportunities to both undergraduate and graduate students with the end goal of bringing on those people as hires."
Several UTEP students participate in PNNL summer internships each year and UTEP has one faculty member currently on appointment with PNNL, with another planned in the near future. There are plans for a PNNL researcher to be placed at the UTEP campus in the future as well.
In total, PNNL has over 170 appointments with 44 institutions in the United States and abroad. The UTEP partnership is part of PNNL's broader effort to connect with Texas-area institutions with close ties to the national security mission space.
