Kimberly S. Budil

Education and career

Budil received a bachelor of science with a major in physics in 1987 from the University of Illinois Chicago, and a master of science in 1988 and a doctor of philosophy in 1994, both in applied science from the University of California, Davis.

While in graduate school, she worked with future Nobel laureate Donna Strickland, who told her about her impostor syndrome. Strickand said, "Stop apologizing for being here – you belong and you are contributing in a real way." She shared her experience and what she learned from it in a book "Find Your Path: Unconventional Lessons from 36 Leading Scientists and Engineers", together with other contributors such as Stephon Alexander. Her main scientific contribution was in the field of high-power, ultra-fast lasers, participating in the NOVA project, the first inertial confinement fusion project in the world and the predecessor of the National Ignition Facility.

After joining Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory as a scientist in 1987 and later as a postdoc in 1994, she assumed various roles at a wide variety of United States government entities such as the National Nuclear Security Administration, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Energy.

In 2014, she became the University of California vice-president for laboratory management, managing relations between the ten campuses and the three Department of Energy labs managed by the University of California (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory). In 2019, she was principal associate director for Weapons & Complex Integration at LLNL.

In 2019, she was made a fellow of the American Physical Society.

In 2021, she was named as the director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, becoming the first woman to hold the position.

In 2026, she was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering for "advancing nuclear deterrence through technical contributions, laboratory leadership, and advice to the government".