{"688899":{"#nid":"688899","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Renews Memorandum of Understanding With Sandia","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESince 2020, Georgia Tech has partnered with Sandia National Laboratories, a federally funded research and development center focused on national security. In February, the two institutions renewed their collaboration with a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), reaffirming a relationship that has already strengthened research capabilities on both sides.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe partnership has driven progress in areas ranging from hypersonics to bioscience, while also deepening institutional ties beyond research. Joint faculty appointments \u2014 such as\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/me.gatech.edu\/faculty\/mazumdar\u0022\u003EAnirban Mazumdar\u003C\/a\u003E, who holds roles at both Sandia and the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/me.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorge W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u2014 demonstrate how closely the organizations work together. The collaboration has also expanded student talent pipelines, providing more avenues for Georgia Tech students to pursue careers at the national lab.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAt its core, this partnership is about people,\u201d said\u0026nbsp;Tim Lieuwen, executive vice president for Research at Georgia Tech.\u0026nbsp;\u201cSandia and Georgia Tech share a commitment to discovery and developing the talent, creativity, and collaboration our nation needs.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe renewed MOU, he said, \u201cstrengthens connections between our researchers, opens new doors for our students, and builds meaningful career pathways into national service. When our communities work together to address national priorities, we not only accelerate technological advances \u2014 we expand opportunities for the people who will shape the future of our nation\u2019s security.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUnder the new MOU, Sandia and Georgia Tech will focus on integrated research across key national security\u2011aligned areas, including secure artificial intelligence and computing, quantum technologies, critical minerals, advanced manufacturing, energy and grid resilience, and hypersonics.\u0026nbsp;The partnership emphasizes connecting manufacturing, computation, and systems approaches directly to national security applications.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cTogether, we have been solving new and unprecedented challenges in science and engineering, and now we have a great opportunity to develop this partnership,\u201d said Dan Sinars, Sandia\u2019s deputy chief research officer. \u201cOur research benefits both national security and national prosperity, and keeps the country at the forefront of the world.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWith this strengthened connection, the partners aim to grow their shared research footprint through increased funding, publications, and faculty-led startups. Over the long term, Georgia Tech intends to become one of Sandia\u2019s top hiring pipelines, ensuring that talent developed through joint research continues into national security careers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHistory of the Partnership\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Institute\u2019s collaboration with Sandia began in the mid\u20112010s, when the labs selected Georgia Tech as one of its partner institutions. The first MOU, signed in 2015, formalized the relationship and outlined initial technical focus areas.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 2018,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/george-white\u0022\u003EGeorge White\u003C\/a\u003E, executive director of strategic partnerships, and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/olof-westerstahl\u0022\u003EOlof Westerstahl\u003C\/a\u003E, \u0026nbsp;senior director strategic initiatives in the Office of Corporate Engagement, helped expand the partnership. They launched \u201cSandia Day,\u201d an event designed to introduce Georgia Tech faculty to Sandia researchers and spark new collaborations. By 2020, the organizations signed a second MOU that expanded the partnership\u2019s technical focus areas to include energy and grid security, materials and nanotechnology, advanced electronics, advanced manufacturing, advanced computing, cyber and information security, bioscience, hypersonics, quantum information science, and engineering sciences.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe results have been substantial. Since 2018, Sandia has sponsored $35 million in research collaborations with Georgia Tech. Researchers from both institutions have co-authored 450 publications since 2016. Research activity continues to accelerate, with $1.6 million in new contracts in the past year alone. As of August 2025, Sandia employs 325 Georgia Tech alumni \u2014 a testament to the impact of the growing talent pipeline.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe view our work with Sandia as the model for engagement with other national labs,\u201d said White. \u201cWith the new MOU, we will continue to grow the Sandia partnership. I would like to see our footprint double in scope in the next five years.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe Sandia partnership will expand research impact, talent pipelines, and national security innovation.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The Sandia partnership will expand research impact, talent pipelines, and national security innovation."}],"uid":"34541","created_gmt":"2026-03-12 16:13:11","changed_gmt":"2026-03-12 18:20:44","author":"Tess Malone","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-03-12T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-03-12T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"679602":{"id":"679602","type":"image","title":"Georgia-Tech-Signing-10.jpg","body":"\u003Cp\u003EPhoto by Alicia Bustillos from Sandia National Laboratories\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1773332018","gmt_created":"2026-03-12 16:13:38","changed":"1773332018","gmt_changed":"2026-03-12 16:13:38","alt":"Group of people at Georgia Tech\/Sandia MOU signing","file":{"fid":"263782","name":"Georgia-Tech-Signing-10.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/12\/Georgia-Tech-Signing-10.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/12\/Georgia-Tech-Signing-10.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1227985,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/03\/12\/Georgia-Tech-Signing-10.jpg?itok=fTlNkTlI"}}},"media_ids":["679602"],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"193655","name":"Artificial Intelligence at Georgia Tech"},{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"145171","name":"Cybersecurity"},{"id":"39451","name":"Electronics and Nanotechnology"},{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"},{"id":"39461","name":"Manufacturing, Trade, and Logistics"},{"id":"193652","name":"Matter and Systems"},{"id":"39481","name":"National Security"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ETess Malone, Senior Research Writer\/Editor\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003Etess.malone@gatech.edu\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}