Purdue, Los Alamos sign MOU to collaborate on key national security research

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to advance a transformative research partnership focused on national security and cutting-edge technologies. Purdue President Mung Chiang and LANL Director Thom Mason signed the MOU in Los Alamos, New Mexico, on July 14.

The agreement establishes a new framework for both organizations to pursue joint research and innovation in areas critical to national defense and global security, including:

• Advanced materials for hypersonics
• Cybersecurity
• Computational modeling and simulation for utilization of AI technologies
• Energetics

The MOU is part of a broader commitment by both institutions to deepen collaboration in support of their shared missions. In addition to joint research, the agreement outlines potential future initiatives to colocate researchers to strengthen coordination. As part of this vision, LANL will seek to establish a duty station near Purdue. This step would enable LANL and Purdue personnel to engage more deeply in mission-aligned research.

Together, these efforts aim to create a hub for shared research, innovation and workforce development aligned with national priorities.

“Purdue researchers have collaborated with Los Alamos National Lab researchers for decades since the Manhattan Project. This MOU creates a new framework for partnering in the research capabilities and infrastructures of both Purdue and Los Alamos to make critical advances that strengthen our national security,” Chiang said. “It is a particularly important milestone for the university as we welcome the first colocation of a DOE national lab.”

“Our collaboration with Purdue University builds on a strong foundation for advancing research critical to national security,” Mason said. “This partnership will help accelerate progress in hypersonic materials, cybersecurity, AI-driven modeling and more. Purdue is a natural partner in tackling the complex challenges vital to our nation’s future.”

Purdue and LANL share a collaborative legacy dating back to World War II, when faculty and graduate students relocated to Los Alamos to work on the laboratory’s cyclotron and nuclear cross-section measurements under the Manhattan Project. Since then, Purdue and LANL have continued to collaborate on nuclear science, materials engineering and computational modeling research.

“The research envisioned under this MOU builds upon a long-standing partnership with LANL and positions Indiana at the forefront of national security innovation,” said Dan DeLaurentis, Purdue’s executive vice president for research. “This will further bolster Indiana’s already strong national security research ecosystem and will add to our high-technology workforce development programming by creating new opportunities for students and researchers.”

The MOU takes effect immediately and extends through 2030.

About Los Alamos National Laboratory

Los Alamos National Laboratory is a multi-program, federally funded research and development center for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The Laboratory’s priority roles are serving as a nuclear weapons design agency and a nuclear weapons production agency; addressing nuclear threats; and performing national security science, technology, and engineering.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a public research university leading with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities in the United States, Purdue discovers, disseminates and deploys knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 107,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, locations and modalities, including more than 58,000 at our main campus in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 14 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its comprehensive urban expansion, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.