Livermore highlight
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
A federally funded research and development center founded in 1952 by Ernest Lawrence and Edward Teller, employing nearly 10,000 people and conducting advanced science for national security.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory was established on September 2, 1952, by Ernest O. Lawrence and Edward Teller, with Herbert York serving as the first director. The laboratory was created during the Cold War to advance nuclear weapons science and ensure the safety and reliability of the nation's nuclear arsenal. It occupies a one-square-mile campus at the eastern edge of Livermore and has since grown into one of the nation's premier research institutions.
Today LLNL employs nearly 10,000 people across a range of scientific disciplines, from nuclear deterrence and stockpile stewardship to high-performance computing, climate modeling, and energy research. In December 2022, the laboratory achieved a major breakthrough: the first fusion reaction that produced more energy than was put in, a milestone in decades of fusion research and a signal of breakthroughs to come in clean energy technology. The laboratory operates with a $3.25 billion annual budget and represents one of the largest concentrations of technical expertise in the region.
The laboratory's payroll and presence anchor Livermore's economy, supporting families across the city and the surrounding valley. Employees balance demanding work with the needs of households, mortgages and educational plans for their children. Adequate life insurance—a term policy that would keep a household steady through the years of greatest dependence—is a decision that works for the families of researchers, engineers and support staff alike.