Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory



Dr. Dana Rowley

Dr. Dana Rowley is an Associate Senior Fellow at the Center for Global Security Research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. He is also a member of the Primary Nuclear Design Division at LLNL.

Rowley received his Ph.D. in nuclear physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1981. He earned his Masters degree in physics from the University of New Hampshire in 1977 and his Bachelor of Science degree in physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1974. He was a post-doctoral fellow in nuclear physics at LLNL from 1981 to 1983, performing nuclear physics experiments on accelerators at LLNL, Stanford, and University of California at Berkeley.

Rowley joined LLNL as a career employee in 1983 in the Thermonuclear Weapons Design Division, where he was involved in numerous underground nuclear tests. He served as the Boost Physics Group Leader in the Primary Design Division from 1996 to 2012. In this position, he was responsible for the division's efforts in boost physics and laser-driven experiments and was one of the key experts on the experimental program supporting the Stockpile Stewardship Program. He also represented LLNL on matters concerning the Strategic Reserve of special nuclear material. In both roles, he worked closely with the National Nuclear Security Administration, the nuclear enterprise, and other design laboratories.

From 1996 to 2000, Rowley served as the LLNL project manager for the SLBM Warhead Protection Program, a weaponization project in cooperation with the U.S. Navy. During this time, he had significant interactions with Department of Energy production sites and developed an understanding of weapon manufacturing processes.

For several years Rowley served as the principal nuclear weapons expert supporting LLNL responses to questions on issues pertaining to a Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty.