Postdoctoral Fellow Spotlight: Elizabeth “Liz” Grace

When were you hired at LLNL?

January 2023.

What are your degrees in?

I have a PhD, master’s, and bachelor’s in physics.

What is your scientific background in?

I was originally inspired by astrophysics. Black holes, dark matter, and star formation were my interests as early as fifth and sixth grade. In high school, I began to learn about special relativity in my AP physics class, which further cemented my interest. While on summer break from high school, I attended Cornell University’s summer school, where I had the opportunity to take classes with college students. While there, I took an astrophysics class taught by a visiting professor. He spent many hours after class explaining these concepts to me and, at the end of the course, encouraged me to submit a final paper on relativity and all of the concepts I learned with him after hours. I had so much fun at that summer school that I decided to continue my physics education in college.

I attended Reed College, where I majored in Physics. At Reed, I also operated the Reed Research Reactor as my part-time job (after passing many hours of written and oral licensing exams with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission). After college, I continued to pursue Physics at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where I studied laser science. Actually, what attracted me to the field of laser science was the study of optical rogue or “freak” waves, a rare phenomenon whereby the generation of supercontinuum optical light produces spikes of high intensity seemingly out of nowhere. These waves are analogous to freak ocean waves.

During my PhD, I ended up working on high-intensity laser science through the study and design of optical diagnostics—developing the tools we need to observe new phenomena.

What is the main focus of your LLNL postdoctoral research?

Now, as a fellow at the Lab, I study high-intensity laser‒plasma physics. This is an extension of my PhD work, which focused mainly on the characteristics of high-intensity laser light and the interaction between those lasers and matter.

What are some of the real-world applications of your research?

To see something for the first time, you have to first build a tool that is capable of seeing it. My work centers around the development of diagnostic tools to uncover new phenomena. This has broad applications, most notably in inertial fusion energy, planetary astrophysics, and model validation.

What are some of the “big” science questions you seek to answer?

How do small, local fluctuations in laser energy and intensity produce drastically different outcomes? How can we observe microscopic changes on an ultrafast timescale? And can we use special relativity to improve the efficiency of laser-driven inertial fusion energy?

What is your favorite part about your current research?

My current research allows me to push the frontiers of my own knowledge in new directions every day.

What makes the HEDS fellowship unique?

The HED fellowship allows me the flexibility to innovate. Due to the broad scope of my assignment, I am able to easily investigate new ideas and avenues for research.