Science Starts Here: John Louis Sarrao

Name

John Louis Sarrao.

Current position

Division Leader, Materials Physics and Applications Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Time at the Mag Lab

August 1994 to February 1997.

Role

Postdoc and visiting scientist, Tallahassee.

Current work

John’s research emphasizes the discovery and synthesis of novel materials, especially unconventional superconductors and magnets. He’s also a manager with oversight responsibility for the lab's branch at Los Alamos.

In his own words

“Being at (the Magnet Lab) in the very early days gave me a sense of the opportunities and challenges in starting a new lab nearly from scratch. (I learned) that anything is possible, if you're willing to focus on achieving success.

“The Magnet Lab is a special blend of national lab and university that is very stimulating intellectually and is sufficiently small that there is a true sense of family and shared commitment among the staff that is very stimulating. In the early days, most employees, from Nobel laureates to the newest hires, were all co-located in a single wing of the building.”

How mentors make a difference

“I moved to Tallahassee with Zachary Fisk, and my research today continues to be inspired by Zach. Zach’s dedication to science and breadth of knowledge are truly inspirational. The Magnet Lab is very much ‘the house that Jack (Crow) built;’ the extent to which Jack was able to realize his vision from a set of empty buildings to the great success that the Magnet Lab is today is also very motivating.”

Date posted: January 2008

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