Martin Owens Aids Los Alamos National Labs’ Pursuit of the Future

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Martin Owens continues to support researchers in unearthing the world’s greatest mysteries at Los Alamos National Laboratory, or as the senior director of capital project execution jokes, “the cul-de-sac at the end of the world.” 

The last time we spoke with Owens, the laboratory forever connected to famed theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer was tackling challenges created by inflation, examining new building strategies that would make projects more appealing to builders, and attracting talent to a location that is, by all accounts, one of the more remote communities in the US. 

More recently, Owens says his organization is looking to “think like a private company” in terms of execution, efficiency, and focus, while still concentrating on the public that it serves. 

“My focus, my mantra, and my buzzwords have been ‘working commercially,’” Owens explains. “We need to get more streamlined. We need to be able to get more done with our allotted budget. I think that very much aligns with the current administration, and I think we can definitely benefit by applying some lessons from commercial building with our projects.”

After an extensive round of contractor interviews, Owens says the commercial industry is seeking more contracts with pre-construction included. This means that contractors want to be involved in the construction process as early as possible. 

“That essentially means that you start working with a general contractor before you get too far down the design path,” Owens says. “You get their insights on constructability, on cost, and they’re connecting with the end users, my clients, from the very beginning, so there are fewer surprises along the way.”

The process also lowers contractor risks because they have a fuller understanding of labor requirements before the building begins. The goal is to deliver more value for taxpayer dollars.

“It takes so many people to make these massive projects happen, and I truly believe the lab has done a tremendous job of helping us push into the future.”

Martin Owens

One area of particular interest for Owens, given his extensive background prior to coming to LANL, is the development and deployment of nuclear energy. Owens spent more than 30 years in commercial nuclear program project management. He jokes that the submariner his daughter is dating is benefiting from the nuclear reactors he helped build earlier in his career. 

Owens believes public sentiment toward nuclear energy may finally be catching up with cutting-edge technology that can potentially offset more traditional and costly forms of energy. 

While nuclear energy requires significant upfront capital investment, its fuel costs are low, and its public safety record, like commercial aviation, is much safer than the public generally gives it credit for. Even environmental concerns have pivoted significantly over the last decade as more people begin to see nuclear as a viable alternative to fossil fuels. 

LANL is supporting nuclear innovation through multiple venues, including its building of a Low Enriched Fuel Fabrication Facility in partnership with company Kairos to develop next-generation fuels. 

“We’re building facilities right now that are going to help the commercial nuclear industry get to the next level,” Owens explains, “but there’s so much more going on here at the same time.”

“Under Martin’s leadership, we’ve seen the transition of Los Alamos’s procurement process into one that encourages innovation and expedites the ability of the lab to meet mission critical needs” says Ron Schirato, the vice president of federal at Larson Design Group. “LDG has been fortunate to work alongside Martin and see firsthand how he creates tangible, positive solutions that move the work forward.”

Los Alamos’s pulsed-power research infrastructure is also receiving substantial investment that will benefit the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory-Pulsed Field Facility. This facility operates an international user program providing scientists with access to some of the world’s strongest magnetic fields; since 2012 it holds the record for the strongest magnetic field produced by a nondestructive magnet (100.7 tesla, ~2 million times Earth’s magnetic field), but even the world’s strongest magnet needs some TLC.

A new rotor for the 1400-megawatt generator that powers the 100-tesla magnet is currently being built in Switzerland and will help those at the Pulsed Field Facility continue to lead high-field condensed matter physics research. Examining how materials behave under such extreme conditions advances our understanding and ultimately leads to discovery of the next generation materials necessary to advance almost every form of technology. 

Martin Owens has a job like no one else, but the leader says that he’s doing his best for a team of more than 15,000 employees and researchers.

“I have a great team of project management folks, construction managers, and so many great craftspeople,” the senior director says. “It takes so many people to make these massive projects happen, and I truly believe the lab has done a tremendous job of helping us push into the future.”

In his spare time, Owens has a wide range of interests, including mountain and road biking, and rebuilding a 1972 Mercedes that had been parked in Los Alamos for 20 years. You might spot Owens driving through the desert mountains, top down, enjoying all there is to offer at the cul-de-sac at the end of the world.

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