Stanford and SLAC

On an oak-studded hillside a mere two miles from Stanford University lies the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC). Run by Stanford for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), SLAC is home to a 2-mile-long linear accelerator, a synchrotron and the world’s most powerful X-ray laser. Experiments there probe everything from the most intricate molecular details of artwork or cellular structures to the origins of the universe and materials for better batteries. SLAC's scientific mission has diversified from an original focus on particle physics and accelerator science to include cosmology, materials and environmental sciences, biology, chemistry and alternative energy research.

SLAC is one of 17 DOE national laboratories that tackle the critical scientific challenges of our time. The most comprehensive research system of its kind in the world, DOE labs take a multidisciplinary approach to translating basic science into innovation. As one of 10 labs stewarded by the DOE Office of Science – the nation’s biggest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences – SLAC supports the office’s mission in the development, construction and operation of unique, open-access scientific user facilities.

The relationship between SLAC and Stanford goes back 60 years, to a meeting where Stanford physicists helped plot construction of the linear accelerator. Since that time, collaborations between Stanford and SLAC scientists contributed to four Nobel prizes in physics and chemistry. Now their proximity supports several joint research centers and institutes and creates unparalleled opportunities for Stanford faculty and students to investigate the world we live in and solve real-world challenges.

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC or the Laboratory) is a national laboratory and Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) managed and operated under by Stanford University (Stanford or the University) under contract with the United States Department of Energy (DOE or sponsor). SLAC is located on Stanford University land that has been leased to the U.S. Government since 1962, and DOE has renewed SLAC’s Management and Operating contract to Stanford continuously over this period. DOE has developed the land with numerous federally owned scientific facilities and structures as SLAC’s mission has expanded and evolved. This mission includes research in basic and applied science conducted by SLAC faculty and staff, as well as by thousands of external users and collaborators from around the world.

The Stanford President has chartered the SLAC Board of Oversight (the Board or BoO) with providing comprehensive and independent oversight of SLAC on behalf of the University. The Board shares its recommendations with SLAC management for follow up, and the Board serves to implement a key component of Stanford’s Contractor Assurance responsibilities for the DOE. In addition, the Board Chair provides the Board’s recommendations to the Stanford President and Provost, who in turn rely on the Board’s advice to inform the Stanford Board of Trustees of relevant risks and governance matters pertaining to SLAC. The Board thus enables University oversight of SLAC in a manner consistent with the Management and Operating contract, national laboratory practices, and sponsor expectations, while integrating SLAC into University risk and governance processes where appropriate.