U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright visited the Department of Energy (DOE)’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory on Tuesday for the first leg of a series of national laboratory tours in the Bay Area. At the Stanford-managed research and development facility, Wright learned about SLAC’s innovations in X-ray, microelectronics, quantum science and physics.
Wright’s stop at SLAC is part of a nationwide tour of all 17 national energy laboratories that aims to observe the progression of America’s scientific and technological leadership.
The Secretary of Energy’s tour also begins at a time of national budget cuts to the DOE. Earlier this month, Wright defended a proposed 18% cut to the Office of Science’s budget in accordance with President Donald Trump’s proposed budget, saying that national labs must be prepared to “do more with less.” The budget cut applies to SLAC, which receives funding from the DOE.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to host Secretary Wright and showcase the expertise, creativity and collaboration driving the real-world impact of our work,” said SLAC Director John Sarrao in an email to The Daily. “Through our strong partnership with the DOE and with Stanford University, we enable research and technology that benefit the nation and are uniquely achievable here.”
On May 19, the Association of American Universities, which includes Stanford, urged Congress to reject the proposed budget cuts, warning that reduced funding would harm U.S. scientific innovation and recommending an increase in the budget to $9.5 billion for the 2026 fiscal year.
During the tour, Wright met with early-career scientists and visiting researchers about the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), breakthroughs in fusion energy and advanced microelectronics. The LCLS is the world’s most powerful X-ray laser and allows scientists to observe molecular and atomic changes.
Wright also learned about another new piece of technology from SLAC: the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) camera, the world’s largest digital camera ever built for astronomy. The LSST camera was recently installed at the NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile.
At the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (KIPAC), a joint institute of SLAC and Stanford, Wright heard about the Rubin Observatory’s forthcoming ten-year survey to explore the origins of the universe.
Wright also visited two X-ray light sources and the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL), where researchers spoke to him about quantum science and SLAC’s contributions to drug design and batteries.
“I leave inspired and with confidence in the future of American science and in our leadership,” said Wright in his closing remarks.