Senior Laser Technician, Lead Operator
National Ignition Facility, USA

Andy McGrew has an exciting job at the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA. He has been with LLNL for 5 years helping to maintain direct operational control of the National Ignition Facility, a $3.5 billion laser used in high energy density plasma physics and fusion research to help solve our country’s energy problems.

Andy oversees all activities necessary during the laser shot operations. He coordinates facility work teams; directs all shot activities during main laser firing, manages the safety interlock system, and runs the highest level of system control software. It’s a real challenge and he is proud that his Laboratory trusts him with all this responsibility. Andy believes his interest in light and optics when he was young led him to this job. Besides working in a job he really likes, Andy earns a base salary of nearly $70,000 a year. That’s not bad! And after 5 years on the job, he is working as a Senior Laser Technician and a Lead Operator for the National Ignition Facility.