Miriam John

Last updated
Miriam John
Alma mater Princeton University
Tulane
Rice University
Scientific career
Institutions Sandia National Laboratories
Thesis Electrochemical characterization of heterogeneous optically selective catalysts  (1977)

Miriam E. John is an American engineer who is a policy advisor and former vice president of Sandia National Laboratories. She is an expert in nuclear weapons and chemical defence. In 2022, she was awarded the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory John S. Foster, Jr. Medal and was elected Fellow of the National Academy of Engineering.

Contents

Early life and education

John earned her bachelor's degree at Rice University.[ citation needed ] She moved to Tulane University for her master's degree, and Princeton University for her doctorate. Her doctoral research considered the characterization of optically selective catalysts. [1]

Career

In 1978, John joined the Sandia National Laboratory California Division, where she led the Test and Evaluation of nuclear weapons as well as Systems Analysis. She was appointed to her first management position in 1982, where she oversaw thermal and fluid analysis.[ citation needed ] W89/SRAM II, which John worked on, was the last weapon development program in the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory before the fall of the Berlin Wall. Several of the warheads John designed were eventually produced, and eventually she was made responsible for studying and assessing nuclear weapons. [2]

In 1999, John was made Vice President of Sandia National Laboratories, a position which she held until 2006.[ citation needed ] After retiring, John joined the advisory board of the United States Department of Defense and the Nuclear Science and Security Consortium. [3] She has served as chair of the California Council on Science and Technology. [4] She encouraged the Department of Defense to make use of big data and new technologies to counter nuclear proliferation. [5]

In 2022, John was elected to the National Academy of Engineering. [6]

Awards and honors

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References

  1. "Electrochemical characterization of heterogeneous optically selective catalysts | WorldCat.org". www.worldcat.org. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
  2. 1 2 "National security community honors Miriam John as 2022 Foster Medal recipient | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory". www.llnl.gov. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
  3. Mim John and David Franz - Challenges to Viability of International Agreements on ChemBio Weapons , retrieved 2023-02-08
  4. "Miriam John". California Council on Science & Technology (CCST). Retrieved 2023-02-08.
  5. "Stop Loose Nukes With Big Data and Crowdsourcing, Experts Urge". Nextgov.com. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
  6. 1 2 "National Academy of Engineering Elects 106 Members and 18 International Members". NAE Website. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
  7. "Recipients of the Eugene G. Fubini Award".