The Nonproliferation Mentorship Program At Sandia National Laboratories

Addressing tomorrow’s challenges to the weapons of mass destruction (WMD) nonproliferation and arms controls requires preparing today. In particular, it requires preparing new cadres of professionals with a rigorous understanding of the drivers, dynamics, decisions, and designs that compose the various methods to reduce global WMD-related risks.In response, over the past nearly 20 years Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia) has engaged in an effort to establish a knowledge transfer mechanism that has manifested into the “Nonproliferation Mentorship Program” (NMP) for early/mid-career professionals to gain exposure and expertise in nonproliferation (NP) subject areas. Leveraging Sandia’s 25+ year experience implementing the Weapons Intern Program, the NMP offers an interdisciplinary depiction of the technical, social, and political dynamics underlying the nonproliferation and arms control regimes. The NMP is currently composed of two phases. Phase I consists of participating in a graduate-level course titled “Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Non-Proliferation Science and Policy.” Phase II consists of a capstone project wherein NMP participants apply knowledge gained in Phase I to a short-term research project under the guidance of knowledgeable/expert mentor. The NMP ends with a symposium, wherein the Phase II research results are shared and discussed with a broader audience of interested experts and upper-level leadership. The NMP is developing into a capability that supports a broader set of stakeholders—including the National Nuclear Security Administration and Department of State, among others—with mission objectives in the WMD nonproliferation and arms control regimes.After situating the NMP among other similar programs, this paper will share the history and development of this unique program and early lessons learned to meet this knowledge transfer challenge. Next, this paper will describe the current structure of the NMP and highlight novel aspects of the program. This paper will then offer some evidence of program success and discuss how various success influenced program development. Lastly, this paper will offer a set of planned, probable, and potential next steps to enhance the capability of Sandia’s Nonproliferation Mentorship Program to produce high quality experts prepared to tackle tomorrow’s nonproliferation challenges.SAND2021-1895A. SNL is managed and operated by NTESS under DOE NNSA contract DE-NA0003525