Los Alamos National Laboratory

James Hamilton Cooley, Ph.D.

Plasma Physicist  |  National Security Strategist  |  Los Alamos National Laboratory

Bridging advanced computational physics and strategic national security analysis to strengthen America's nuclear deterrent

Overview

Executive Summary

Dr. James Cooley is the Office Director for Strategic Analysis & Assessments within the National Security and International Studies directorate at Los Alamos National Laboratory. He leads teams providing strategic advice to LANL senior leadership and across government interagency, military, and intelligence community partners — shaping nuclear deterrence policy through rigorous, quantitative analysis.

His career uniquely combines deep technical expertise in plasma physics, computational science, and weapons design with strategic national security leadership. From designing advanced simulation codes for laser-plasma interactions to coordinating Tri-Lab nuclear weapons effects assessments for USSTRATCOM, Dr. Cooley bridges the gap between fundamental physics research and the highest levels of national security decision-making.

20+
Years at LANL
821+
Citations
60+
PhD Scientists Managed
7
Defense Programs Awards
“

Understanding weapons effects is part of developing a stable, well-defined nuclear strategy and policy.

— James H. Cooley

Career Progression

Leadership & National Security

From nuclear submarine engineer to directing strategic analysis for America's nuclear enterprise

2019 – Present
Director, Strategic Analysis & Assessments
NSIS Directorate — Los Alamos National Laboratory
  • Provides strategic advice to LANL senior leadership on future programs and options analysis
  • Develops and presents briefings to DOE, NNSA, DoD, and IC senior leaders
  • Leads LANL engagement with USSTRATCOM J5 for war plan evaluations
  • Nuclear Weapons Effects Coordinator for the LANL Weapons Program
  • Leads Tri-Lab coordination (LANL + LLNL + SNL) in support of U.S. Government agencies
  • Directs Nuclear Winter assessment — modern Tri-Lab modeling effort
  • Developing Net Assessment capability inspired by Andrew Marshall's methodology
  • Leads Strategic Stability Analysis and Consequences of Execution programs
2018 – 2019
Deputy Director, SAA Office
ALDX — Los Alamos National Laboratory
Transitioned from computational science leadership to strategic national security analysis, supporting the SAA mission during organizational standup.
2016 – 2017
Deputy Division Leader (Acting)
Computer, Computational & Statistical Science Division (CCS)
Managed portfolio of 140+ PhD scientists across multiple computational science groups supporting weapons, energy, and fundamental research programs.
2015 – 2018
Group Leader, Computational Physics & Methods
CCS-2 — Los Alamos National Laboratory
  • Led 60+ PhD scientists in radiation transport, climate modeling, plasma physics, and astrophysics
  • Grew program funding by $9M+ (FY15–FY18) across DOE, DoD, and IC missions
  • Expanded staff from 35 to 45 and postdocs from 6 to 17
2004 – 2015
Physicist & Project Leader
Los Alamos National Laboratory
  • Weapon designer with experience in secondaries, primaries, and counter-terrorism
  • Led L1 Milestone for Implosion Hydrodynamics and Ignition
  • Program Manager for Verification & Validation
  • Project Leader for Physics Validation, Advanced Scientific Computing
  • Technical Nuclear Forensics — IC Point of Contact for Design Modeling
1994 – 1999
Nuclear Engineer, United States Navy
Naval Reactors — Department of Energy
  • Lead Nuclear Engineer responsible for primary components on submarines
  • Resolved operational concerns in submarine reactor plants
  • Managed steam generator corrosion program
  • Heat exchanger component design for new submarine class
Domains

Technical Expertise

Two decades spanning fundamental physics research, computational science, and national security analysis

Plasma Physics & Laser-Plasma Interactions

Parametric instabilities in plasma channel formation, high-intensity laser coupling, laser wakefield acceleration. Developer of fully parallel 3D simulation codes for laser-plasma physics.

Computational Physics & HPC

Led 60+ PhD scientists in radiation transport, climate modeling, nuclear reactor thermo-hydraulics, plasma physics, and astrophysics. Co-developer of QuickPIC — a highly efficient particle-in-cell code (302 citations).

Nuclear Weapons Science & Effects

Weapon design experience across secondaries, primaries, and counter-terrorism. Lead Nuclear Weapons Effects Coordinator for the LANL Weapons Program, directing research and Tri-Lab coordination.

Inertial Confinement Fusion

Research on ICF implosion dynamics including mix effects, fall-line mix models, heterogeneous burn, and thermonuclear yield analysis. Contributions to NIF experimental campaigns.

Verification & Validation

Former V&V Program Manager. Led "ground-breaking" work earning Defense Programs Awards of Excellence. Developed Common Model and Predictive Capability Frameworks for the stockpile stewardship program.

Technical Nuclear Forensics

Design Modeling and Intelligence Community Point of Contact for National Technical Nuclear Forensics (NTNF) since 2013, supporting attribution capabilities for nuclear security.

Strategic Analysis & Deterrence Theory

Leads strategic stability analysis, net assessment development, nuclear winter assessment, and consequences of execution programs. Provides quantitative analysis for nuclear strategy and policy to senior government leaders.

Curriculum Vitae

Career & Credentials

Complete professional history with education, leadership, and recognition

Download Full CV (PDF)
Ph.D. — Physics
University of Maryland, College Park  |  August 2004
Research in parametric instabilities in plasma channel formation, high-intensity laser coupling to plasma channels, and fully parallel 3D simulation codes for laser-plasma interactions.
M.S. — Applied Mathematics
University of Maryland, College Park  |  May 2004
Certificate — Nuclear Engineering
Bettis Reactor Engineering School, Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory, PA  |  July 1995
B.S. — Physics
University of Texas, Austin  |  May 1994
Director, Strategic Analysis & Assessments (SAA)
NSIS Directorate, LANL  |  Feb 2019 – Present
Deputy Director, SAA Office
ALDX, LANL  |  Sep 2018 – Feb 2019
Deputy Division Leader (Acting), CCS Division
LANL  |  Oct 2016 – Jan 2017
Managed 140+ PhD scientists portfolio across computational science groups.
Group Leader, Computational Physics & Methods (CCS-2)
LANL  |  Jan 2015 – Sep 2018
Led 60+ PhD scientists. $9M+ program growth (FY15–FY18). Staff growth 35→45, postdocs 6→17.
Deputy Group Leader, CCS-2
LANL  |  Feb 2014 – Jan 2015
Program Manager, Verification & Validation (Acting)
LANL  |  Mar 2011 – Sep 2011
Lead Nuclear Engineer
Naval Reactors, U.S. Navy  |  1994 – 1999
Office Director, Strategic Analysis & Assessments
Los Alamos National Laboratory  |  Feb 2019 – Present
  • Provide strategic advice to LANL senior leadership on future programs
  • Develop and present briefings to DOE, NNSA, DoD, and IC senior leaders
  • Lead Nuclear Weapons Effects Coordinator for the LANL Weapons Program
  • Lead LANL portion of Tri-Lab efforts supporting USSTRATCOM
  • Lead LANL engagement with USSTRATCOM J5 for war plan evaluations
  • Nuclear Winter assessment with modern Tri-Lab modeling tools
  • Net Assessment capability development at request of NNSA Administrator
Group Leader, Computational Physics & Methods (CCS-2)
Los Alamos National Laboratory  |  Jan 2015 – Sep 2018
  • Led 60+ PhD scientists in radiation transport, climate modeling, nuclear reactor thermo-hydraulics, plasma physics, and astrophysics
  • $9M+ program growth across DOE, DoD, and IC mission areas
  • Expanded staff from 35 to 45 and postdocs from 6 to 17
Physicist & Project Leader
Los Alamos National Laboratory  |  Sep 2004 – Jan 2015
  • Weapon designer — secondaries, primaries, and counter-terrorism
  • Technical Point of Contact, L1 Milestone — Initial Conditions for Boost I
  • Project Leader — Implosion Hydrodynamics and Ignition
  • Project Leader — Physics Validation, Advanced Scientific Computing
  • IC Point of Contact for National Technical Nuclear Forensics
  • Annual Assessment Review team member (2008–2014)
Directed Energy Scholar
Naval Research Laboratories  |  May – Aug 2004
Laser Wakefield Accelerator modeling and laser pulse propagation in ionizing media.
Graduate Research Assistant
University of Maryland  |  Aug 1999 – Aug 2004
Plasma physics research: parametric instabilities, high-intensity laser coupling, 3D simulation code development.
Lead Nuclear Engineer
Naval Reactors, U.S. Navy  |  Jul 1994 – Aug 1999
  • Resolved operational concerns in submarine reactor plants
  • Managed steam generator corrosion program
  • Aircraft carrier operations changes
  • Heat exchanger component design for new submarine class
  • Reactor servicing facility relocation and de-fueling operations
2015 Distinguished Performance 2012 DP Award of Excellence 2011 DP Award of Excellence 2010 DP Award of Excellence 2008 Distinguished Performance 2007 DP Award of Excellence (x2)
Distinguished Performance Award, 2015
Mighty Saber Team contributions
Defense Programs Award of Excellence, 2012
Lead — L1 Milestone on Implosion, Predictive Capability Framework
Defense Programs Award of Excellence, 2011
Lead — V&V Common Model development
Defense Programs Award of Excellence, 2010
Modern energy balance models and methodologies
Distinguished Performance Award, 2008
Oak Phoenix Data Evaluation Team
Defense Programs Award of Excellence, 2007
"Ground-breaking" work in Verification and Validation
Defense Programs Award of Excellence, 2007
Altair 4 development team
Research

Selected Publications

Contributions spanning plasma physics, computational science, weapons effects, and nuclear strategy

Total Citations: 821+ h-index: 14 Google Scholar Profile →
QUICKPIC: A highly efficient particle-in-cell code for modeling wakefield acceleration in plasmas
C Huang, VK Decyk, C Ren, M Zhou, W Lu, WB Mori, JH Cooley, et al.
Journal of Computational Physics 217(2), 658-679, 2006
302 citations
Quasimonoenergetic electrons from unphased injection into channel guided laser wakefield accelerators
DF Gordon, RF Hubbard, JH Cooley, B Hafizi, A Ting, P Sprangle
Physical Review E 71(2), 2005
63 citations
Anomalous yield reduction in direct-drive deuterium/tritium implosions due to ³He addition
HW Herrmann, JR Langenbrunner, JM Mack, JH Cooley, DC Wilson, et al.
Physics of Plasmas 16(5), 2009
56 citations
Climate impact of a regional nuclear weapons exchange: An improved assessment based on detailed source calculations
J Reisner, G D'Angelo, E Koo, W Even, M Hecht, E Hunke, D Comeau, et al.
Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 123(5), 2752-2772, 2018
49 citations
QuickPIC: A highly efficient fully parallelized PIC code for plasma-based acceleration
C Huang, VK Decyk, M Zhou, W Lu, WB Mori, JH Cooley, TM Antonsen Jr, et al.
Journal of Physics: Conference Series 46(1), 190-199, 2006
39 citations
The effects of pre-mix on burn in ICF capsules
DC Wilson, GA Kyrala, JF Benage Jr, et al.
Journal of Physics: Conference Series 112(2), 2008
27 citations
Application of fall-line mix models to understand degraded yield
L Welser-Sherrill, JH Cooley, DA Haynes, DC Wilson, et al.
Physics of Plasmas 15(7), 2008
26 citations
Experimental quantification of the impact of heterogeneous mix on thermonuclear burn
BJ Albright, TJ Murphy, et al.
Physics of Plasmas 29(2), 2022
23 citations
Results from single-shock Marble experiments studying thermonuclear burn in the presence of heterogeneous mix on the National Ignition Facility
TJ Murphy, BJ Albright, et al.
High Energy Density Physics 38, 100929, 2021
23 citations
Detecting surface changes from an underground explosion in granite using unmanned aerial system photogrammetry
ES Schultz-Fellenz, et al.
Pure and Applied Geophysics 175(9), 3159-3177, 2018
23 citations
Inference of ICF implosion core mix using experimental data and theoretical mix modeling
L Welser-Sherrill, DA Haynes, RC Mancini, JH Cooley, et al.
High Energy Density Physics 5(4), 249-257, 2009
21 citations
Parametric instability in the formation of plasma waveguides
JH Cooley, TM Antonsen, HM Milchberg, et al.
Physical Review E 73(3), 2006
13 citations
View All Publications on Google Scholar